tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33703855570476580972019-04-11T06:33:21.033-05:00Miniature WargamingMiniature wargaming terrain and miniatures in 28mm.Ryan Skowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01005219749335015663noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3370385557047658097.post-20363303750624080512018-10-04T20:58:00.000-05:002018-10-04T20:58:28.226-05:00Intermodal Shipping Containers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Intermodal shipping containers are all over the world and the thought of dozens (or hundreds) of them together on one gaming table sounded pretty awesome to me...&nbsp; So I started considering options:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m98jbXl9edo/WwwMqG3xF4I/AAAAAAAAWks/Z3IHC6b1cpwoZ0tSSdeM1CYp0fGAu_c6wCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_0995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m98jbXl9edo/WwwMqG3xF4I/AAAAAAAAWks/Z3IHC6b1cpwoZ0tSSdeM1CYp0fGAu_c6wCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_0995.JPG" width="400" /></a>Buying O-scale containers or other commercial options are a bit cost-prohibitive as well as would need a bunch of work to get them weathered.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mJ4nGmbItE8/WwwMqI6AvHI/AAAAAAAAWks/Q8QxRH7s_igksHi8h9W0PVHdqwAxB9wQgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_0997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mJ4nGmbItE8/WwwMqI6AvHI/AAAAAAAAWks/Q8QxRH7s_igksHi8h9W0PVHdqwAxB9wQgCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_0997.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Another option would be to scratch build the containers using conventional means with card and styrene, but that was quickly discounted given the extreme effort required as well as likely having to sacrifice some level of detail.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Although there is certainly a bit of upfront cost, I went the route of 3D printing my own.&nbsp; I'll go into more detail about the <a href="https://www.phrozen3dp.com/">Phrozen</a> Make resin-based printer I bought last year in another post, but suffice it to say that it is an excellent device which I used to print the containers you can see here.&nbsp; The Make has been replaced by a newer version called the <a href="https://www.phrozen3dp.com/products/phrozen-shuffle">Phrozen Shuffle</a>, but the quality is about the same from what I've heard.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://cdn.thingiverse.com/renders/ac/ea/1f/d8/0d/7bb8dee047cc1c1c4fce6a719e1bc97b_preview_featured.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="628" height="240" src="https://cdn.thingiverse.com/renders/ac/ea/1f/d8/0d/7bb8dee047cc1c1c4fce6a719e1bc97b_preview_featured.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;">One part of the original Thingaverse 3D model</div></td></tr></tbody></table>To do a quick proof-of-concept, I went out and found an existing 3D model of a container which contained a sufficiently high enough level of detail.&nbsp; Here is a link to the original model I found over at Thingaverse:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2624979" style="text-align: center;">Original 3d Model</a>.&nbsp; I'll skip posting all the other pieces - check it out on Thingaverse if you're interested.&nbsp; <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot;; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 6px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; word-spacing: 0px;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5vzRLieM2DY/WwwRvNKNPzI/AAAAAAAAWmM/rxF-h_Tnijw58rB-suArWJQyEnsMyFUSgCKgBGAs/s1600/ShippingContainer-plate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="727" data-original-width="668" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5vzRLieM2DY/WwwRvNKNPzI/AAAAAAAAWmM/rxF-h_Tnijw58rB-suArWJQyEnsMyFUSgCKgBGAs/s320/ShippingContainer-plate.jpg" width="294" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Plate Laid Out in B9 Creator</td></tr></tbody></table>I printed out the pieces separately with the intention to simply glue them together at the end.&nbsp; After messing up the scale a few times, I finally got the pieces to all print out.&nbsp; Unfortunately, large flat objects printed with resin (at least the resin I used) tend to warp a bit during the curing process.&nbsp; I took the model into <a href="https://pixologic.com/">ZBrush</a>&nbsp;and proceeded to join the main body pieces into one model.&nbsp; As you can see in the screenshot, the main body is printed vertically with the end and doors printed separately next to it.<br /><br />One problem with the model that I spent a lot of time fixing is that the insides of the pieces are all flat.&nbsp; By flat I mean the corrugation pattern is not carried through to the inside and instead is just filled with material.&nbsp; Expensive resin in this case...&nbsp; Corrugating the insides cut the amount of resin required by half.<br /><br />The model had other issues as the door was a bit low-resolution as it was intended to be printed on an FDM printer.&nbsp; I ended up rebuilding the entire door from scratch within ZBrush.<br /><br />The yellow container pictured above was my prototype.&nbsp; The steps below are what I ended up with after some experimentation described below.<br /><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m98jbXl9edo/WwwMqG3xF4I/AAAAAAAAWks/Z3IHC6b1cpwoZ0tSSdeM1CYp0fGAu_c6wCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_0995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IV_QgKh2oOY/WwwMqHACgNI/AAAAAAAAWks/U5bFf3ITX_wIHTqRO3vA2t8x2YHmBVnXQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_1004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot;; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IV_QgKh2oOY/WwwMqHACgNI/AAAAAAAAWks/U5bFf3ITX_wIHTqRO3vA2t8x2YHmBVnXQCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_1004.JPG" width="400" /></a>Here is a photo of a printed body section.&nbsp; It has been cleaned with isopropyl alcohol via airbrush.&nbsp; The resin I use is a bit sensitive to submersion in alcohol and tends to split apart if left in a bowl of it for too long.&nbsp; I've found that 'power washing' it with the airbrush is the way to go.<br /><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The end still warped a little bit during curing, but it was easily persuaded to fit together together with the help of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Gorilla-Super-Glue-Gel-Clear">Gorilla Glue&nbsp;</a>and some clamps.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HXpctt5IHCU/WwwMqNZMoNI/AAAAAAAAWks/JbrOgl4zZKMjDPKhZMUwOwxakVlWhW90ACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_1005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HXpctt5IHCU/WwwMqNZMoNI/AAAAAAAAWks/JbrOgl4zZKMjDPKhZMUwOwxakVlWhW90ACKgBGAs/s400/IMG_1005.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />The following steps document the painting process I used.<br /><br />After the back is glued on to the body, I primed in a flat gray spray-can automotive primer.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m98jbXl9edo/WwwMqG3xF4I/AAAAAAAAWks/Z3IHC6b1cpwoZ0tSSdeM1CYp0fGAu_c6wCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_0995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6bXFbIM0PU8/WwwNwwvVd8I/AAAAAAAAWk8/XeoqwXiRs6oABH3piEbIG6pP2ft2A0BiwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_1024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6bXFbIM0PU8/WwwNwwvVd8I/AAAAAAAAWk8/XeoqwXiRs6oABH3piEbIG6pP2ft2A0BiwCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_1024.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Next, the second step is base-coating in Burnt Sienna.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot;; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; text-align: start;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m98jbXl9edo/WwwMqG3xF4I/AAAAAAAAWks/Z3IHC6b1cpwoZ0tSSdeM1CYp0fGAu_c6wCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_0995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m98jbXl9edo/WwwMqG3xF4I/AAAAAAAAWks/Z3IHC6b1cpwoZ0tSSdeM1CYp0fGAu_c6wCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_0995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><span style="color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot;; font-size: small;"></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XzbRxAlWdRc/WwwMqAp8wiI/AAAAAAAAWks/kAW7fyeGt2MBaqtK5ukfQXOtsesrxOVdQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_1003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><br /><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YS0BU5jxHmQ/WwwNw-1zCqI/AAAAAAAAWk8/fL2hZfRT4ZATYfSxjM8SZ23rGhpmhPkNgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_1025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YS0BU5jxHmQ/WwwNw-1zCqI/AAAAAAAAWk8/fL2hZfRT4ZATYfSxjM8SZ23rGhpmhPkNgCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_1025.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span style="text-align: center;">Next, areas of&nbsp;</span><span style="text-align: center;">Orange Iron Oxide pigment mixed with Burnt Sienna paint were painted on with a sponge brush.&nbsp; I can't say enough how pleased I am with&nbsp;</span><span style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.earthpigments.com/">Earth Pigments</a>.&nbsp; Very reasonable prices on a great set of products and non-toxic to boot!&nbsp; I guess wearing a mask is still not a bad idea given any small particulate is not great to breath in.&nbsp; Anyway, I highly recommend them.</span><br /><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span><span style="text-align: center;">The pigments give some texture to the rust areas.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"></div><br /><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_qvOvhhqA8o/WwwO2jzQImI/AAAAAAAAWlI/HFh1Wfnm2ZkWv2JDFoLhzJjg4Lt8exTCwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_1052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_qvOvhhqA8o/WwwO2jzQImI/AAAAAAAAWlI/HFh1Wfnm2ZkWv2JDFoLhzJjg4Lt8exTCwCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_1052.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a>Here are the primary Earth Pigments I use for adding a rust weathering effect.&nbsp; Natural Umber, Orange Iron Oxide, Burnt Sienna.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JdeNAjY-ELs/WwwO2mplfWI/AAAAAAAAWlI/pv4hvt6PGFADZyOxaJ0ERr_TutaGcnpagCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_1051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JdeNAjY-ELs/WwwO2mplfWI/AAAAAAAAWlI/pv4hvt6PGFADZyOxaJ0ERr_TutaGcnpagCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_1051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><br /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JdeNAjY-ELs/WwwO2mplfWI/AAAAAAAAWlI/pv4hvt6PGFADZyOxaJ0ERr_TutaGcnpagCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_1051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JdeNAjY-ELs/WwwO2mplfWI/AAAAAAAAWlI/pv4hvt6PGFADZyOxaJ0ERr_TutaGcnpagCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_1051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div><br /><br />I'm utilizing the 'hairspray' method as I've described in previous blog posts to weather these containers.&nbsp; After the rust layer has dried, a clear gloss coat needs to be applied.&nbsp; This is applied via standard rattle-can and allowed to fully dry before proceeding to the next step.&nbsp; It is important that the clear gloss coat is oil-based to prevent later steps from damaging the rust effects.<br />The next non-pictured step of liberally spraying the containers with my favorite '80s hairspray: Aqua-Net.&nbsp; I have the 'regular' and not the 'all weather' version.&nbsp; I've not tried the all-weather so it may work, but if they made it waterproof in any way, it could cause problems.&nbsp; Fortunately I stocked up when it was on sale at Walgreens.<br /><br /><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JdeNAjY-ELs/WwwO2mplfWI/AAAAAAAAWlI/pv4hvt6PGFADZyOxaJ0ERr_TutaGcnpagCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_1051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JdeNAjY-ELs/WwwO2mplfWI/AAAAAAAAWlI/pv4hvt6PGFADZyOxaJ0ERr_TutaGcnpagCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_1051.JPG" width="320" /></a>Next, after the hairspray has dried, I airbrush 'primer gray'.&nbsp; It really isn't primer - it is water-based and just called that because real things are often primed with this color of paint.&nbsp; It is important to airbrush rather than brush this on as the technique won't work if the hairspray gets too wet from the paint being applied over it.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Once the gray overcoat is dried, it is time to get it wet again.&nbsp; I spray the whole container with water and let it set for a couple minutes.&nbsp; The water will soak through the gray paint and dissolve the underlying hairspray.&nbsp; Using a combination of cotton swabs, stiff brushes, dental picks, and scraps of balsa wood to scratch off the gray paint to reveal the rust painting underneath, the desired level of weathering can be achieved in a nice naturally chipped fashion.<br /><br />I added some additional weathering using the same paints and pigments as above.&nbsp; In addition, adding a dusting of Natural Umber gives things a 'dusty' look.</div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jRk18NXQYjg/WwwPqCDHJ0I/AAAAAAAAWlQ/Khb22qb6Cf4uNitW3k0YvXW5jHJvpMy1ACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_1077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jRk18NXQYjg/WwwPqCDHJ0I/AAAAAAAAWlQ/Khb22qb6Cf4uNitW3k0YvXW5jHJvpMy1ACKgBGAs/s320/IMG_1077.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>After the weathering is complete, it is time for decals.&nbsp; This was my first real experience with applying decals (other than with a model airplane or two decades ago).&nbsp; For this, I used a Inkscape to create the graphics and printed them on decal paper made for my laser printer.&nbsp; I carefully cut them out from the paper and used MircoSet and MicroSol setting solutions to affix them to the containers.</div><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jRk18NXQYjg/WwwPqCDHJ0I/AAAAAAAAWlQ/Khb22qb6Cf4uNitW3k0YvXW5jHJvpMy1ACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_1077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNgM0PRKotc/WwwPqMDFVBI/AAAAAAAAWlQ/SGQDrHS8vvY5BfEQfuv2FOBYZ8cdNZkmQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_1078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNgM0PRKotc/WwwPqMDFVBI/AAAAAAAAWlQ/SGQDrHS8vvY5BfEQfuv2FOBYZ8cdNZkmQCKgBGAs/s400/IMG_1078.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Here are a couple photos after the decals have been applied, but not yet weathered.<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jRk18NXQYjg/WwwPqCDHJ0I/AAAAAAAAWlQ/Khb22qb6Cf4uNitW3k0YvXW5jHJvpMy1ACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_1077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div><br /><br /><br />I learned a lot about what all of the numbers &amp; letters on the containers mean and utilized the algorithm to produce 'proper' numbers that the check-digit works for.&nbsp; Each container I made has a unique serial number to track it.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R_S3dQQezXU/WwwPqKqCHlI/AAAAAAAAWlQ/e6H4mYnGsqII29tHpZAUtquAe68enPAJQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_1046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R_S3dQQezXU/WwwPqKqCHlI/AAAAAAAAWlQ/e6H4mYnGsqII29tHpZAUtquAe68enPAJQCKgBGAs/s640/IMG_1046.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R_S3dQQezXU/WwwPqKqCHlI/AAAAAAAAWlQ/e6H4mYnGsqII29tHpZAUtquAe68enPAJQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_1046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><br /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Finally, here is a fully weathered version of the container - including weathering of the decals.<br /><br /><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tfxNS-K1LpU/WwwQZIIG3-I/AAAAAAAAWls/G9s49daCQdIKSCKTHy72Q6epOKexKJJpACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_1079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tfxNS-K1LpU/WwwQZIIG3-I/AAAAAAAAWls/G9s49daCQdIKSCKTHy72Q6epOKexKJJpACKgBGAs/s640/IMG_1079.JPG" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><br />There is still quite a ways to go before seeing 100s of containers out on the game board, but this was a fun and interesting project which resulted in a neat detail to add to my existing games.&nbsp; So far I've completed six containers and they worked great.<br /><br />They cost less than $5 each for supplies (primarily resin) and I think the detail is pretty good, but there are a lot of steps involved which adds up to quite a bit of time to complete each container.&nbsp; For now I'm not going to fire up the production line and pound out 94 more of them.&nbsp; ;)<br /><br />I do have plans to work on a shipping yard so perhaps I'll be motivated to add a few more containers if the need arises...<br /><br />If there are any questions on techniques or tools used, please drop me a message.&nbsp; I'm always happy to share &amp; discuss!</div>Ryan Skowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01005219749335015663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3370385557047658097.post-25779882390960469302017-06-10T19:46:00.000-05:002017-06-10T19:46:11.373-05:00Miniature Sculpting - "Big Guy"Well, I have been taking a break from the Walking Dead terrain for the past several months. &nbsp;I do intend to finish it, but I've been busy working on another large project. &nbsp;There will be some more posts on that later, but for now I wanted to show one aspect of the new project - sculpting custom miniatures.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7q-eAWtOXfY/WTyOuGiwlDI/AAAAAAAAUYk/7veiEqEJ75ISYdOo0iPU1ogReU2qrey-wCKgB/s1600/IMG_0536.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7q-eAWtOXfY/WTyOuGiwlDI/AAAAAAAAUYk/7veiEqEJ75ISYdOo0iPU1ogReU2qrey-wCKgB/s400/IMG_0536.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>For the project I'm working on, I needed some people for the players to rescue. &nbsp;This one, nicknamed "Big Guy" is one of them.<br /><br />I primarily used <a href="http://pixologic.com/">ZBrushCore </a>included with a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wacom-CTH690TK-Intuos-3D/dp/B01KKPBWBU">Wacom tablet </a>to digitally sculpt this miniature. &nbsp;This is one of my first digital sculpts and it was a lot of fun to work on. &nbsp;There are lots of other programs I used in the 'workflow' to get this done, but I'll save that for another post if anyone is interested. <br /><br />Once sculpted, I sent it off to <a href="http://shapeways.com/">Shapeways </a>to print. &nbsp;For the material, I selected Frosted Ultra Detail. &nbsp;It has a very fine texture, but overall painted up fairly well. <br /><br />Although not overly apparent in this photo, I tried doing some layering rather than my usual basecoat&nbsp;+ wash painting technique. &nbsp;I've still got a long way to go, but it produced results about as good as my usual technique. &nbsp;It did, however, take about twice as long... &nbsp;It was good practice if nothing else.<br /><br />Here are a few screenshots of the digital sculpt:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wigSpk25CDY/WTyQqtXnbgI/AAAAAAAAUYs/eikK1TYa5lgaic0D75LaGtqOXag42g6bQCKgB/s1600/IMG_0400.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="494" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wigSpk25CDY/WTyQqtXnbgI/AAAAAAAAUYs/eikK1TYa5lgaic0D75LaGtqOXag42g6bQCKgB/s200/IMG_0400.PNG" width="133" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G1cFQLf5XL4/WTyQqiE_3UI/AAAAAAAAUYs/lhI07cf6F1ctTM3zX4CKk2-a3bhY-5lrgCKgB/s1600/IMG_0401.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="730" data-original-width="498" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G1cFQLf5XL4/WTyQqiE_3UI/AAAAAAAAUYs/lhI07cf6F1ctTM3zX4CKk2-a3bhY-5lrgCKgB/s200/IMG_0401.PNG" width="136" /></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w2iiLAe3kNE/WTyQqoTDsnI/AAAAAAAAUYs/lBb9SFHweP0N4TZaGQWGo9Jk1i9EVAJ4wCKgB/s1600/IMG_0399.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="741" data-original-width="484" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w2iiLAe3kNE/WTyQqoTDsnI/AAAAAAAAUYs/lBb9SFHweP0N4TZaGQWGo9Jk1i9EVAJ4wCKgB/s200/IMG_0399.PNG" width="130" /></a></div><br /><br />I've got a few other sculpts as well and will likely post them at some point. <br /><br /><br /><br />Ryan Skowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01005219749335015663noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3370385557047658097.post-25081369582323508122016-07-30T13:13:00.000-05:002016-07-30T13:13:38.471-05:00Greene Family Farm - Barn Roof Painted<br />A couple months ago I finished painting the roof of the barn, but hadn't gotten around to posting it until now. <br /><br />Below are the paints and pigment I used. &nbsp;Using a sponge brush, I applied the various rust colors including Burnt Umber, Brown Iron Oxide, and Burnt Sienna to the tin and tried to leave some un-aged areas in similar spots to where they are on the actual barn. &nbsp;As a bit of an experiment, I mixed in a bit of <a href="http://www.earthpigments.com/">Earth Pigments</a> <a href="http://www.earthpigments.com/orange-iron-oxide-pigment/">Orange Iron Oxide</a> to add a little texture and help blend the colors together. &nbsp;I highly recommend these pigments by the way. &nbsp;They are reasonably priced and can add a lot to a model. &nbsp;I've just barely started to learn to use them, but see they have great potential.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z8G8b6x_O0E/V5zqLXjdmbI/AAAAAAAADS0/ZWkVJKBuETcte_-dnAXnDkbxLjB7Q_vIwCLcB/s1600/20160522_141106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z8G8b6x_O0E/V5zqLXjdmbI/AAAAAAAADS0/ZWkVJKBuETcte_-dnAXnDkbxLjB7Q_vIwCLcB/s640/20160522_141106.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I'm not exactly sure why the raw tin areas exist on the real barn, but I'd guess they recycled some tin from other buildings and the less aged areas were previously overlapped by other tin pieces. <br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here is one side of the barn. &nbsp;It still has a little shine to it which I'll mute with some flat clear coat after I get all the wood painted. &nbsp;Waiting until then will avoid over-spray which would seal up parts of the wood resulting in inconsistent paint absorption.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ROsfopuEyCk/V5zqLt31EEI/AAAAAAAADSw/qMqiYpd9v9QvMtigAx0J8y_67Om3fEi-QCLcB/s1600/20160730_124701.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ROsfopuEyCk/V5zqLt31EEI/AAAAAAAADSw/qMqiYpd9v9QvMtigAx0J8y_67Om3fEi-QCLcB/s640/20160730_124701.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Here are a couple more shots from different angles. &nbsp;Depending on how the light hits it, the colors look quite a bit different. &nbsp;Once everything is finished, I'll take some photos in better lighting.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IqGjHvLpipY/V5zqLdSc5mI/AAAAAAAADSs/VYLJ2Y9zW8Q7Rop1xhkqJ9hUtKnwBP7HACLcB/s1600/20160730_124726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IqGjHvLpipY/V5zqLdSc5mI/AAAAAAAADSs/VYLJ2Y9zW8Q7Rop1xhkqJ9hUtKnwBP7HACLcB/s640/20160730_124726.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o-BcQzU20z8/V5zqL9eqv-I/AAAAAAAADS4/aVhZ6Wvm1sQWBjFT76qPVBXn0BmUD3sbwCLcB/s1600/20160730_124737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o-BcQzU20z8/V5zqL9eqv-I/AAAAAAAADS4/aVhZ6Wvm1sQWBjFT76qPVBXn0BmUD3sbwCLcB/s640/20160730_124737.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Just as a point of reference, here is a shot of the roof from the <a href="http://www.amc.com/shows/the-walking-dead">Walking Dead</a> Season 2, Disc 2 BluRay. &nbsp;Once I get around to painting the wood, it should bear some resemblance to what is on film.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-krAlTd6jgpI/V5zsH4SrZYI/AAAAAAAADTI/D6_tDCvFSiY1xoQYJ7ediMp3WZN9PVOcACLcB/s1600/20160228_143253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="340" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-krAlTd6jgpI/V5zsH4SrZYI/AAAAAAAADTI/D6_tDCvFSiY1xoQYJ7ediMp3WZN9PVOcACLcB/s640/20160228_143253.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Ryan Skowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01005219749335015663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3370385557047658097.post-19806451880837882742016-04-24T22:19:00.002-05:002016-07-30T13:13:54.117-05:00Greene Family Farm - Roof Tin Done<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M8sWbzfo20s/Vx2EV5pYUZI/AAAAAAAABn0/WBEuNveRCGg06Bj1JmnMJ3Y2gb6VIfx-gCLcB/s1600/20160423_150713.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M8sWbzfo20s/Vx2EV5pYUZI/AAAAAAAABn0/WBEuNveRCGg06Bj1JmnMJ3Y2gb6VIfx-gCLcB/s640/20160423_150713.jpg" width="360" /></a>After a couple weeks of no progress, I found some time this weekend to really move the barn forward. &nbsp;First, the awning was built out to support the tin and serve as a starting point of roofing. <br /><br />As you can see, the animal pens have yet to be finished, but now at least all of the roofing sections are now fully prepared to take on the tin.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Below is a photo of the completed awning. &nbsp;It so happened that the width of the roof sections is evenly divisible by the width of a piece of tin. &nbsp;There was only a little 'stretching' needed for the upper full sections, but overall it really worked out well. &nbsp;The glue I used can be seen at the right of the frame by the way.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b_w1myVAwnw/Vx2EV8u_4GI/AAAAAAAABnw/NJl-4ES4hBEdrdKYjxhpRiupkN08BEI3gCLcB/s1600/20160423_172110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="324" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b_w1myVAwnw/Vx2EV8u_4GI/AAAAAAAABnw/NJl-4ES4hBEdrdKYjxhpRiupkN08BEI3gCLcB/s640/20160423_172110.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UQGgrOFsiqo/Vx2EV82onNI/AAAAAAAABn4/OX5nyllxr2YMyN0S07QmCMuDM1xseU2swCLcB/s1600/20160423_172115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UQGgrOFsiqo/Vx2EV82onNI/AAAAAAAABn4/OX5nyllxr2YMyN0S07QmCMuDM1xseU2swCLcB/s320/20160423_172115.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>Here is a close-up of the glue. &nbsp;It is Gorilla Glue Gel and it is the first time I've used it. &nbsp;In other tin-roof projects I have used regular Gorilla Glue and I must say that this gel variant really works well. &nbsp;It gets 'tacky' much more quickly than its regular counterpart and sets up strong soon thereafter. &nbsp;I remember the regular Gorilla Glue taking longer to set up and be more of a binary thing - either wet and not sticky at all or rock solid and immobile. &nbsp;It was nice take advantage of the few seconds adjustment time that the gel offers.<br /><br />Hopefully it is equally as strong in the long term, but I guess only time will tell. &nbsp;So far it is looking quite promising.<br /><br />It took about an entire bottle of glue to finish the roof. &nbsp;I think it was about $3 at Wal-Mart so not a terrible cost to complete a fairly large roof.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mAxXy9f_KvU/Vx2EWOIttNI/AAAAAAAABn8/Bbj_WlWE3-go1FOYhF3XOBvpYmYfHm4EACLcB/s1600/20160423_211622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mAxXy9f_KvU/Vx2EWOIttNI/AAAAAAAABn8/Bbj_WlWE3-go1FOYhF3XOBvpYmYfHm4EACLcB/s400/20160423_211622.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">The photo to the right is the peak section of the roof. &nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Here you can see my little friends - the clips. &nbsp;I found them in a Home Depot several years ago and while the little grips have been torn up a bit by stray blobs of glue, they are still an invaluable tool to do roofing. &nbsp;The limited height of each roof section really lent itself well to the size of the clamp. &nbsp;All three of these are working together to hold down the top, middle, and bottom of the section of tin. &nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">As soon as I get the glue applied for the next piece and put the tin down, the glue had set up enough to just move the clamps down the line. &nbsp;</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">All sections of this side of the barn have been roofed. &nbsp;The peak of the loft access still needs some work, but otherwise is ready to go.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NexTYjK5bts/Vx2EWAqr_8I/AAAAAAAABoA/Z9aaK3VYcM48j7bVu3KvYzIicCiS9ZRqwCLcB/s1600/20160423_220200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="416" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NexTYjK5bts/Vx2EWAqr_8I/AAAAAAAABoA/Z9aaK3VYcM48j7bVu3KvYzIicCiS9ZRqwCLcB/s640/20160423_220200.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pQ8MnLeByHs/Vx2EWVRlcKI/AAAAAAAABoE/qwbV705FaFAIX6Sd-c1WOYa3QwAamaRnQCLcB/s1600/20160423_220243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pQ8MnLeByHs/Vx2EWVRlcKI/AAAAAAAABoE/qwbV705FaFAIX6Sd-c1WOYa3QwAamaRnQCLcB/s320/20160423_220243.jpg" width="295" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y0-1ghudIPY/Vx2EWBdZXyI/AAAAAAAABoI/f1bNBrHgz0k1jQIrApqnBrF2QGEwzrpEQCLcB/s1600/20160423_220216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y0-1ghudIPY/Vx2EWBdZXyI/AAAAAAAABoI/f1bNBrHgz0k1jQIrApqnBrF2QGEwzrpEQCLcB/s1600/20160423_220216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y0-1ghudIPY/Vx2EWBdZXyI/AAAAAAAABoI/f1bNBrHgz0k1jQIrApqnBrF2QGEwzrpEQCLcB/s1600/20160423_220216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y0-1ghudIPY/Vx2EWBdZXyI/AAAAAAAABoI/f1bNBrHgz0k1jQIrApqnBrF2QGEwzrpEQCLcB/s1600/20160423_220216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>&nbsp;Here it is again at an angle.<br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I guess I was in the groove and didn't bother to take any other in-progress photos of the other side. &nbsp;Here are a few photos of the entire roof complete. &nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eR16P1Q38Lo/Vx2EWnenUSI/AAAAAAAABoM/EuNPqfU5IGQ8s09ihar-dgV8wxeJcpIAwCLcB/s1600/20160424_195955.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="570" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eR16P1Q38Lo/Vx2EWnenUSI/AAAAAAAABoM/EuNPqfU5IGQ8s09ihar-dgV8wxeJcpIAwCLcB/s640/20160424_195955.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MfGdR803aZk/Vx2EW2kEc2I/AAAAAAAABoU/kMX-rQkms6wlma08nw4wi5MpgKSTAmjowCLcB/s1600/20160424_200044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="462" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MfGdR803aZk/Vx2EW2kEc2I/AAAAAAAABoU/kMX-rQkms6wlma08nw4wi5MpgKSTAmjowCLcB/s640/20160424_200044.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6dIoZ8ustw4/Vx2EWkrYzZI/AAAAAAAABoQ/UrtTU2dQMrAZjwDSVU5csA3Hiv5LfRO-ACLcB/s1600/20160424_200017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6dIoZ8ustw4/Vx2EWkrYzZI/AAAAAAAABoQ/UrtTU2dQMrAZjwDSVU5csA3Hiv5LfRO-ACLcB/s640/20160424_200017.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />So far the barn is shaping up fairly nicely. &nbsp;While not an exact replica of the actual tin sheets used, I think what I came up with captures the spirit of the architectural element. <br /><br />A bit more wood-work for the pens, doors, and ladder for the loft access and it will be ready to paint. &nbsp;I'll also need to do some level of ground cover before painting the ground-floor wood, but it should be fairly straight forward as I plan to use the trusty ol' Sculpt-A-Mold... &nbsp;Until next time!<br /><br />Oh, one more thing to add - my estimate of tin needed was only off by 12. &nbsp;I'm glad I had enough as I wasn't really looking forward to going back to the tin mill. ;)Ryan Skowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01005219749335015663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3370385557047658097.post-89955341971186629802016-04-03T20:58:00.001-05:002016-07-30T13:14:08.547-05:00Greene Family Farm Barn - Tin Roof<br /><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jxkSg-cP5rw/VwGS-g4eCGI/AAAAAAAABmc/rqbp_9Yba-Ulw7uC2Cog23BoxqUMmhaUw/s1600/1021f4b4c6ddea97324edc702a62b6c7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jxkSg-cP5rw/VwGS-g4eCGI/AAAAAAAABmc/rqbp_9Yba-Ulw7uC2Cog23BoxqUMmhaUw/s1600/1021f4b4c6ddea97324edc702a62b6c7.jpg" /></a>Since the beginning of this project, I have been trying to crack the riddle of how to get the tin for the roof the barn to look similar to that of the actual Green Farm barn. <br /><br />I've done corrugated tin in the past for other projects, but if you look closely at the roof of the barn, you'll see that it is a bit different. &nbsp;The photo on the right is similar to what was used on the barn. <br /><br />Using actual tin from pop cans has its pluses and minuses. &nbsp;On the plus side, it is very sturdy and is easy to make look worn in a realistic looking fashion. &nbsp;On the minus side, it can be a bit difficult to get into the desired shape and can be very difficult to replicate fine details such as the double-ridge on the edges of the real thing. <br /><br /><br /><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pzT7AcRvwNA/VwGS-pyUMmI/AAAAAAAABmg/8TwjTLOYC78C6a-ZZnvQmIe7_52lXMbOA/s1600/20160402_152013_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pzT7AcRvwNA/VwGS-pyUMmI/AAAAAAAABmg/8TwjTLOYC78C6a-ZZnvQmIe7_52lXMbOA/s640/20160402_152013_resized.jpg" width="360" /></a>After several rounds of trial and error at trying to make shape the metal, I was about to conclude that I'd need some other specialized tools to make the form itself. &nbsp;Fortunately after some prayer the night before, I woke up last Saturday and easily threw together what turned out to be a very simple form that turned out to work wonderfully.<br /><br />You can see the form to the right taped down to the base plate of the embossing machine. &nbsp;It is basically a thin sheet of polystyrene with a two pieces of polystyrene rod glued near the top and bottom edges and a piece of half-round polystyrene glued down the middle. &nbsp;It took some careful positioning and gluing, but the whole thing was put together in about 5 minutes. <br /><br />Below the form is a 'blank' piece of sheet metal from a pop can. &nbsp;It measures 4" long by about 1" wide. &nbsp;More on the various steps in the process below.<br /><br /><br />Below the tin is the shadow of my hands and phone taking the picture...I was too lazy to crop...sorry.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q3HnekxPsBw/VwGS-pu7TAI/AAAAAAAABmk/WBaN4wSC1EANk3Vwd48PZG5RHG7L_0Chg/s1600/20160402_152022_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q3HnekxPsBw/VwGS-pu7TAI/AAAAAAAABmk/WBaN4wSC1EANk3Vwd48PZG5RHG7L_0Chg/s320/20160402_152022_resized.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Here is a photo of the "evolution" embossing machine. &nbsp;It basically has some steel rollers that applies pressure to a sandwich that you crank through it. &nbsp;It isn't exactly inexpensive, but it can be used for all sorts of other crafts that other family members enjoy working on.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The embossing machine basically puts a lot of pressure on the tin and forces it to form over and around the polystyrene rods. &nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">There are several steps in preparing the tin, but before that, let me introduce you to the next indispensable piece of hardware...</div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WjFzlUS7u-Y/VwGS-2zxMXI/AAAAAAAABmo/lGGOabB5XuMKyvMrBsP4SUlXvt4GPLtWg/s1600/20160402_152040_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WjFzlUS7u-Y/VwGS-2zxMXI/AAAAAAAABmo/lGGOabB5XuMKyvMrBsP4SUlXvt4GPLtWg/s320/20160402_152040_resized.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The paper cutter! &nbsp;It turns out that it can cut tin cans quite well. &nbsp;I'm pretty sure the whole process would have taken 10x longer and really not looked very good if the trimming were done by hand using scissors. <br /><br />I'm not sure if there are any long term negative effects on the cutter, but it seemed to cut the tin without any sweat and seems no worse for the wear after making hundreds of tin cuts.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><br /></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: start;"><i><b>Now to go through the various stages of tin preparation.</b></i></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><br /></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"></span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0KIJJH6j1UM/VwGS_XKUAXI/AAAAAAAABm4/gWUXTiKMCBgkz7QXs9ZL97YmTm67PasSw/s1600/20160402_222942_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><br /></a><span style="text-align: left;"></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Starting with a standard 12oz soda can, I used a kitchen shears to cut off the top and bottom. &nbsp;I then cut a line down the seam to end up with a flat rectangular sheet. &nbsp;I then used an random orbit disk sander to sand off the branding markings and all of the paint on the can. &nbsp;This also roughs up the surface so it looks a bit more weathered. &nbsp;In addition, I sanded the inside to take off the slick coating to allow the tin to be glued together later.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0KIJJH6j1UM/VwGS_XKUAXI/AAAAAAAABm4/gWUXTiKMCBgkz7QXs9ZL97YmTm67PasSw/s1600/20160402_222942_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0KIJJH6j1UM/VwGS_XKUAXI/AAAAAAAABm4/gWUXTiKMCBgkz7QXs9ZL97YmTm67PasSw/s400/20160402_222942_resized.jpg" width="224" /></a></div><span style="text-align: left;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;">To initially measure the width of the tin strips, I used my trusty triangular engineering ruler which happens to be about an inch wide. &nbsp;I was able to just draw a quick line on the tin, rotate the ruler one turn, keeping one edge in place, and then draw another line which is perfectly parallel to the first.</span></div><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This is a photo showing a couple early stages of tin. &nbsp;From the sanded rectangle, three 8"x1" strips of usable tin can be obtained. &nbsp;There is a bit of waste, but most of the cans I used didn't even offer the 5 cent refund so the cost of the raw materials is basically nothing. &nbsp;The 8" strip on the left is then cut down to two 4" strips using the paper cutter. &nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This cutter has very handy measuring marks so I was able to skip all the time consuming manual measuring and marking steps before cutting.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--Ei-WkLcLf0/VwGS-wOG1vI/AAAAAAAABms/z5fvuno1Ucs6fOblEadkvQffjuO9inXbg/s1600/20160402_152056_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--Ei-WkLcLf0/VwGS-wOG1vI/AAAAAAAABms/z5fvuno1Ucs6fOblEadkvQffjuO9inXbg/s400/20160402_152056_resized.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">I then use a bit of painter's tape and tape one of the 4"x1" strips down to the form to secure it in place. &nbsp;The rubber layer and top plate are then laid on top to finish off the sandwich. &nbsp;I taped the form on the first quarter of the sandwich so I didn't have to roll the whole sandwich through each time. &nbsp;These stacks of tin are all freshly pressed and ready for the next trimming step. &nbsp;</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uB3kab6J0L8/VwGS_DVodtI/AAAAAAAABm0/y3cHf5sdXeYxm-jgswmkBQofj9ywiKjgQ/s1600/20160402_153516_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uB3kab6J0L8/VwGS_DVodtI/AAAAAAAABm0/y3cHf5sdXeYxm-jgswmkBQofj9ywiKjgQ/s320/20160402_153516_resized.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>There are two stages to trimming. &nbsp;First the excess is trimmed from the two long edges. &nbsp;Thanks to the paper cutter, this job was not only made much easier, but it is also much more consistent than using a hand-held cutter.<br /><br />The second stage to trimming is cutting the 4" section (which is actually just over 4") down to exactly 4". &nbsp;Next the 4" section is cut in half to provide two 2" sections which is the final dimensions of a single piece of tin that will be affixed to the roof.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Zu0EeDbQpU/VwGS_GDLXII/AAAAAAAABmw/Io8B1wF3JAIKm526aF69wzAe8f1ACFLPQ/s1600/20160402_152111_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Zu0EeDbQpU/VwGS_GDLXII/AAAAAAAABmw/Io8B1wF3JAIKm526aF69wzAe8f1ACFLPQ/s320/20160402_152111_resized.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Here is a finished specimen all trimmed up and ready to go. <br /><br />I lined up ten of them with an edge overlapping as they will be placed on the roof and found the length of them to be roughly 6". &nbsp;Given the length of the roof is just over 11", it will take roughly 20 to complete one course.<br /><br />In short, I calculated the number of pieces to finish the roof, awning included, to be 180 which seemed to be a lot, but actually didn't take long to complete once the process was rolling (bad pun intended).<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Kyw1AQPyJNA/VwGS_axBKOI/AAAAAAAABm8/GNZ3_K3uw0U_Pi6iiZC1993Tl7X5FQdpQ/s1600/20160403_162554_resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Kyw1AQPyJNA/VwGS_axBKOI/AAAAAAAABm8/GNZ3_K3uw0U_Pi6iiZC1993Tl7X5FQdpQ/s400/20160403_162554_resized.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>Behold! &nbsp;Over the course of three evenings and with the help of one of my kids, 18 stacks of 10 pieces each are all lined up and ready to be attached to the roof.<br /><br />Overall, I'm very pleased with how smoothly the process went. &nbsp;I was concerned that the project was going to get shelved due to coming up with no solution to the roof. <br /><br />Although the miniature version of an individual piece doesn't exactly match what is pictured above, I believe that when assembled together they will provide a convincing reproduction of the real barn that was down in Georgia. <br /><br /><br /><i><b>Next Step</b></i><br /><br />The next step will likely be to glue the ground floor down to a base and then finish some of the woodwork of the various animal pens. &nbsp;I'd like to jump right into gluing the tin on the roof, but need to figure out exactly how the awning is going to be attached. It may be fixed to the base or it could come off with the middle layer of the barn. &nbsp;On one hand it would be more sturdy if left attached to the base, but it may look better and be easier to move miniatures in the external pens if the awning came off.<br /><br />Until next time...<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nR6N8tSs-MY/Vvhgh_mcwwI/AAAAAAAABiE/TJiVMwijgpQVzI57ImPmJtjzMVIv5XmWQ/s1600/20160228_143238-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="464" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nR6N8tSs-MY/Vvhgh_mcwwI/AAAAAAAABiE/TJiVMwijgpQVzI57ImPmJtjzMVIv5XmWQ/s640/20160228_143238-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Ryan Skowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01005219749335015663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3370385557047658097.post-88112553109729592862016-03-27T18:32:00.002-05:002016-07-30T13:14:27.794-05:00Greene Family Farm (The Walking Dead)<br />Happy Easter!<br /><br /><br />The recent <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1744629938/the-walking-dead-all-out-war-miniatures-game">Kickstarter</a> by Mantic Games featuring their new miniature game "<a href="http://www.manticgames.com/the-walking-dead.html">The Walking Dead: All Out War</a>" triggered my building itch. &nbsp;The iconic barn filled with walkers at the Greene Family Farm is what I decided to started with.<br /><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nR6N8tSs-MY/Vvhgh_mcwwI/AAAAAAAABh8/R3jjHjE6wBIg0r9Xn3UlWKtle0DuLQaqw/s1600/20160228_143238-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nR6N8tSs-MY/Vvhgh_mcwwI/AAAAAAAABh8/R3jjHjE6wBIg0r9Xn3UlWKtle0DuLQaqw/s400/20160228_143238-1.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />The barn will be 28mm scale measuring about 11" x 11" primarily built from balsa wood. &nbsp;The roof will be constructed of tin from pop cans. <br /><br />To allow for placing miniatures inside and moving them around on both the ground floor and hay loft, the barn will come apart in three pieces.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PHQdEYYf8Xo/Vvhh9UQK0DI/AAAAAAAABiU/6fwLlug0T5Uep-c3XcbYrzJLUyhY-N6-Q/s1600/20160301_195926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PHQdEYYf8Xo/Vvhh9UQK0DI/AAAAAAAABiU/6fwLlug0T5Uep-c3XcbYrzJLUyhY-N6-Q/s320/20160301_195926.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>I actually started this project a few weeks ago, but didn't get around to writing up anything until now so this post is a bit long and has a lot of photos of the progress along the way. &nbsp;To the right is a photo of the start of the balsa frame of the ground floor. &nbsp;I initially thought I'd base it on a 12"x12" 1" thick foam glued to a piece of 1/4" MDF, but I think I'll put it on a 12"x24" base instead. &nbsp;It just looks too crowded on the smaller base and it will be nice to add some grass and driveway area in front of it. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VooezbhXbZk/Vvhh9XO9VWI/AAAAAAAABiM/urH4DGWF5JsVBcPb4o3HndUHt18iYt-9A/s1600/20160304_220248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VooezbhXbZk/Vvhh9XO9VWI/AAAAAAAABiM/urH4DGWF5JsVBcPb4o3HndUHt18iYt-9A/s320/20160304_220248.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>&nbsp;All of the ground floor walls have wood on them at this stage. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kJuzoLm04Ow/VvhiBfBlG2I/AAAAAAAABig/0O4I5kYayzIUNXuwswhoa44GeUKcx3zFw/s1600/20160304_220302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kJuzoLm04Ow/VvhiBfBlG2I/AAAAAAAABig/0O4I5kYayzIUNXuwswhoa44GeUKcx3zFw/s200/20160304_220302.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="200" /></a></div><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zwAVHqYrSaQ/Vvhh9VPQIOI/AAAAAAAABiQ/2AGUzgaS-gIK6Gui5JHjRQyuiKTPOmRtQ/s1600/20160304_220253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zwAVHqYrSaQ/Vvhh9VPQIOI/AAAAAAAABiQ/2AGUzgaS-gIK6Gui5JHjRQyuiKTPOmRtQ/s400/20160304_220253.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />You can see a close-up of the walls below. &nbsp;The wood has been distressed with the great little tool called a Distressing Pen. &nbsp;It basically amounts to a little wire brush with controllable length of bristles. &nbsp;It produces a texture that does a pretty convincing job of looking like old weathered wood. &nbsp;Perfect for this project.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tk7tE1fjhkM/VvhiBUgzZbI/AAAAAAAABiY/GPQLTQGHkdoOLcGoZeurTv_aQfGpRMnVw/s1600/20160305_220330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tk7tE1fjhkM/VvhiBUgzZbI/AAAAAAAABiY/GPQLTQGHkdoOLcGoZeurTv_aQfGpRMnVw/s1600/20160305_220330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tk7tE1fjhkM/VvhiBUgzZbI/AAAAAAAABiY/GPQLTQGHkdoOLcGoZeurTv_aQfGpRMnVw/s400/20160305_220330.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />To the right is a photo looking in from the main doors up through the hay loft. &nbsp;The hay loft is on and the second floor is starting to be framed.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WA-qre82KKg/Vvhlf2C7HvI/AAAAAAAABi0/8qAn05UhwXkP8zUi89KX2TpweAZYhvYGw/s1600/20160319_232221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WA-qre82KKg/Vvhlf2C7HvI/AAAAAAAABi0/8qAn05UhwXkP8zUi89KX2TpweAZYhvYGw/s400/20160319_232221.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">The top floor and roof peak have both been framed up. &nbsp;All that is really left as framing goes is the awning that goes out the side. &nbsp;I'm holding off doing that as well as the inside ground floor posts and fences until I glue it down to a base. &nbsp;</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kPiZVEvX4r8/Vvhl_ce1J_I/AAAAAAAABi8/jwrP4TOWUHYL42qCYo1bqjmEDsSywnG7g/s1600/20160326_205044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kPiZVEvX4r8/Vvhl_ce1J_I/AAAAAAAABi8/jwrP4TOWUHYL42qCYo1bqjmEDsSywnG7g/s400/20160326_205044.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Here the roof peak has been removed to allow miniatures to be placed in the hay loft. &nbsp;</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/114G6CH76RL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/114G6CH76RL.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">The back of the barn has wood siding attached. &nbsp;The siding consists of 1/16" thick balsa which I cut into strips about 1/4" wide. &nbsp;I initially looked for the pre-cut strips, but it turns out 1/16" thick balsa strips are fairly hard to find. &nbsp;I suppose they would have a pretty high breakage rate given how thin and soft balsa wood is. &nbsp;Fortunately, a very helpful guy at my local hobby shop <a href="http://www.hobbyhaven.com/">Hobby Haven</a> pointed out this very useful little device called a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Master-Airscrew-MA4000-Balsa-Stripper/dp/B0000WS5OQ">Balsa Stripper</a>.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><a href="http://www.loctiteproducts.com/img/products/big/sg_g_cntrl.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.loctiteproducts.com/img/products/big/sg_g_cntrl.png" height="200" width="117" /></a><span style="text-align: center;">To glue all the balsa together, I've been using Loctite Gel Control. &nbsp;It is a bit expensive for what I'm using it for, but you can find it on sale at Walmart for $2-3. &nbsp;I could use Elmers or other much cheaper glue, but this stuff dries quickly and really allows fast progress to be made. &nbsp;To glue all of the wood together I've used about three bottles of the stuff. &nbsp;It doesn't take much to glue each board down, but with hundreds of boards, it kind of adds up...</span><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8ghV4b59SHM/VvhpvpCh2_I/AAAAAAAABjU/xA-gJ4vV1kEDiq6A_S3LDN7sskpDcjm0Q/s1600/20160327_164226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span><br /><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Below is a pretty cool photo of the hay loft looking in through the yet-to-be finished wall of the barn.</div><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1xy3w03MRmQ/VvhiBVujXWI/AAAAAAAABic/dkXQmLvtdSUh05tNkw6A3TSEnv8AIuHaw/s1600/20160326_204836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1xy3w03MRmQ/VvhiBVujXWI/AAAAAAAABic/dkXQmLvtdSUh05tNkw6A3TSEnv8AIuHaw/s640/20160326_204836.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><br />Below is a photo of about where the barn is as of this afternoon. &nbsp;All the major wood work is done and it now awaits tin for the roof. <br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8ghV4b59SHM/VvhpvpCh2_I/AAAAAAAABjU/xA-gJ4vV1kEDiq6A_S3LDN7sskpDcjm0Q/s1600/20160327_164226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8ghV4b59SHM/VvhpvpCh2_I/AAAAAAAABjU/xA-gJ4vV1kEDiq6A_S3LDN7sskpDcjm0Q/s640/20160327_164226.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />The tin has proved to be quite a challenge. &nbsp;The texture is different than the regular wave pattern I've done in the past. &nbsp;The next post will have more information on my various experiments with forming the tin and the process I will use to cover the roof.<br /><br />Well, that is all for now. &nbsp;Hopefully the photos have been interesting and my descriptive text has been somewhat clear. &nbsp;Please let me know if there are any questions or comments using the mechanism below. <br /><br />Thanks for taking a look!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Ryan Skowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01005219749335015663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3370385557047658097.post-1982116284537147442015-05-25T13:08:00.001-05:002015-05-28T21:03:11.379-05:00Zombicide - Vehicles!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In preparation for the Zombicide 3D terrain I have planned, I tried to round up some vehicles that were close to the right scale. &nbsp;I first looked around at the local train store since the Zombicide figures are close to O-Scale, but the selection was limited and what they did have was very high priced. &nbsp;I was, however, able to find several options on eBay:</div><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NDE0WDc1Mg==/$T2eC16RHJGIE9nnWq)6sBQVjqH,Erg~~60_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NDE0WDc1Mg==/$T2eC16RHJGIE9nnWq)6sBQVjqH,Erg~~60_1.JPG" height="176" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1/42 scale&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/311228264328?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&amp;ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT">Police Car</a></td></tr></tbody></table><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1783078044"></span><span id="goog_1783078045"></span>The Police car is a little too big for the figures, but definitely close enough to look good on the board. The front doors open which is a nice touch. &nbsp;The only issue is that it has a pull-back-release mechanism inside that works a little too well. &nbsp;It is cool to blast through unpainted plastic, but I wouldn't want it running all over the board banging into painted minis and eventually buildings. &nbsp;Nothing a drop of super-glue won't fix... <br><br><br><br><br><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NDQyWDEwMDA=/z/pGoAAOxyuuJR0czg/$(KGrHqR,!oIFGvmP,SZ5BR0czf0PMw~~60_57.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NDQyWDEwMDA=/z/pGoAAOxyuuJR0czg/$(KGrHqR,!oIFGvmP,SZ5BR0czf0PMw~~60_57.JPG" height="140" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1/42 scale <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/290317855921?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&amp;ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT">Helicopter</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Although the scale is the same as the police car, the helicopter looks closer to the right size for the game. &nbsp;Both large and small side doors open which is pretty cool. &nbsp;This isn't exactly the same type of helicopter that is in Zombicide - this one is intended to hold more passengers. &nbsp;I like that though because the whole team can fit and arrive on the scene of various scenarios. &nbsp;The Helicopter also comes with a plastic stand that it sticks onto which should allow it to "fly" though the streets.<br><br><br><br><br><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MzM4WDYwMA==/z/wisAAOSwNSxVGe6e/$_57.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MzM4WDYwMA==/z/wisAAOSwNSxVGe6e/$_57.JPG" height="180" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1/43 scale <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/391099830458?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&amp;ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT">Passenger Van</a></td></tr></tbody></table>While not an official Zombicide vehicle with a cardboard template, I wanted something that could hold more characters for some custom scenarios. &nbsp;I really like the look of the van and it will look even better with some gore hanging out of the grill. &nbsp;Only the back doors open, but it is a little small to actually stuff the figures in.<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o5lzKJQJS9I/VWKKG-eUBlI/AAAAAAAABQY/tn5vSdLkAto/s1600/D7K_8918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="211" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o5lzKJQJS9I/VWKKG-eUBlI/AAAAAAAABQY/tn5vSdLkAto/s320/D7K_8918.JPG" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1/48 scale<a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/391100102977?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&amp;ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT"> FedEx truck</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br>I thought this truck would work great in a couple scenarios I have in mind. &nbsp;The plan is to run this game at a local gaming convention and I think the players would get a kick out of running around the board in a FedEx truck. &nbsp;The scale is pretty close and it still fits in a single road section. &nbsp;The back door opens and figures can fit inside, but I plan to make a cardboard template to keep on the side of the board for characters to 'sit' in.<br><br><br><br>I received the vehicles below off of eBay. &nbsp;Compared to the police car, van, and FedEx truck they look a little small. &nbsp;Alone with a character miniature they do look acceptable. &nbsp;The beetle looks a little larger than the scale the other two cars are, but again, looks ok with just a figure.<br><br><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/z/O-EAAOxydgZTJyI7/$_57.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/z/O-EAAOxydgZTJyI7/$_57.JPG" height="150" width="200"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1/50th scale <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/121640699463?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&amp;ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT">VW Beetle</a>&nbsp;(Hippie Mobile)</td></tr></tbody></table><br><br><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/z/5lUAAOxyBvZTWDOS/$_57.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/z/5lUAAOxyBvZTWDOS/$_57.JPG" height="150" width="200"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1/50th scale <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/400913438879?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&amp;ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT">Cadillac Coupe</a> (Pimp Mobile)</td></tr></tbody></table><br><br><br><br><br><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/z/y7wAAMXQrhdTWDaT/$_57.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/z/y7wAAMXQrhdTWDaT/$_57.JPG" height="150" width="200"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1/50th scale <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/400913437385?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&amp;ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT">Dodge Challender</a> (Muscle Car)</td></tr></tbody></table><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>No idea if any doors open on any of these, but the scale should be good. &nbsp;As with all of the vehicles, I plan to keep the cardboard templates that come with the game off the board (probably in front of the player who is the driver) to keep track of who is where. &nbsp;Unfortunately magnets don't stick to Die Cast metal so the characters (and Zombies) can't just be stuck to the tops &amp; sides of the vehicles...<br><div><br></div>I do not really care for the official vehicle rules so I took the encouragement from Guillotine Games and made up some house rules. &nbsp;<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/44thi7ddypbpihz/Zombicide-Vehicles.pdf?dl=0">Here is a link to the PDF if you are interested.</a><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Ryan Skowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01005219749335015663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3370385557047658097.post-54510477207316715392015-05-24T23:26:00.003-05:002016-04-24T22:26:16.000-05:00Zombicide - StorageAfter deciding to paint&nbsp;the <a href="http://blog.ryan.skow.org/2015/05/zombicide-painting.html">original Zombicide game</a>, Prison Outbreak, <a href="http://blog.ryan.skow.org/2015/05/zombicide-toxic-city-mall-painting.html">Toxic City Mall</a>, Rue Morgue, and a couple Zombie box expansions, I thought to myself "How am I going to store all of these painted figures?"... &nbsp;Throwing them in a ZipLoc bag isn't going to be good on the 'ol paint job and storing them in the original formed plastic containers just takes too long to put back in - not to mention half of them wouldn't fit anymore due to modifications I've made to them.<br /><br />All of the miniatures I've painted prior to these are metal and there are far fewer of them so I had just bought hard-case foam like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Large-Figure-Storage-Box-Miniatures/dp/B001N1F1CC">this</a>. &nbsp;I would have needed at least six hard cases plus something special for larger figures such as abominations. &nbsp;After spending so much on the figures and paints already, I really didn't want to spend another couple hundred on foam cases. &nbsp;I also looked into BattleFoam and other foam tray solutions, but they aren't cheap either.<br /><br />Fortunately, a friend of mine who is extremely organized in everything he does showed me his solution for the various games he plays. &nbsp;He buys jewelry trays from <a href="https://www.gemsondisplay.com/shopexd.asp?id=1560">Gems On Display</a>&nbsp;as well as a <a href="https://www.gemsondisplay.com/shopexd.asp?id=664">case</a> which holds six of the trays stacked on top of each other. &nbsp;Six trays and the case - including shipping - turned out to be&nbsp;$36.69 - close to the same price as a single hard foam case! &nbsp;Make sure to verify the title of the product page for the trays is "Plastic Stackable Jewelry Tray-Full Size-2". &nbsp;The "Leatherette" wrapped wooden trays do NOT work well as they do not lock together and slide all over...I learned the hard way...<br /><br />The trays then needed to be lined with metal. &nbsp;You can buy "Flex Iron/Steel" metal sheets that perfectly fit at <a href="http://www.davesbaggagetrain.com/inserts.html">Dave's Baggage Train</a>, but since I was trying to do it on the cheap, I went to Home Depot and picked up a 24"x36" sheet of <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/Master-Flow-24-in-x-36-in-Galvanized-Steel-Flat-Sheet-GFS24X361P/202191776">galvanized steel</a>&nbsp;for under $10. &nbsp;To cut it, I needed a tin snips anyway so I'm not counting that as a dedicated cost to the project... ;) &nbsp;The metal was cut to fit nicely inside the tray and glued in with Liquid Nails caulk. &nbsp;Another important lesson learned was to apply the Liquid Nails in lines and do not spread it out all over the bottom of the tray. &nbsp;Apparently the adhesive softens the plastic of the trays a bit and causes them to sag... &nbsp;You can really apply the adhesive fairly sparingly as it won't take much to keep it in place.<br /><br />The third components are <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/Magcraft-Rare-Earth-1-8-in-x-1-16-in-Disc-Magnet-100-Pack-NSN0566/204721213">tiny magnets</a>&nbsp;1/8"x1/16" (3mm x 1.5mm) to put in each figure's base. &nbsp;I already had a Dremel, but needed a <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/Dremel-1-8-in-Shank-High-Speed-Multipurpose-Cutting-Bit-561/202263174">1/8 in. Shank High Speed Multipurpose Cutting Bit</a>. &nbsp;It is special compared to a regular 1/8" bit due to&nbsp;not having a large taper on the front which would have cut through the base before making the hole deep enough. &nbsp;Thank you very much to Magnus Rydin for the great <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1067701/magnetized-storage">tutorial</a> over on Board Game Geek!<br /><br />To avoid losing my mind trying to cut the proper depth, I made a jig using the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dremel-565-Multi-Purpose-Cutting-Kit/dp/B0000302YS">depth guide</a> on my Dremel combined with a piece of wood with a hole drilled out about twice the diameter of the bit. &nbsp;I was then able to extend the bit through the board to the right depth. &nbsp;It was then just a matter of visually aligning the miniature's base and pushing down the base flush with the board. &nbsp;It resulted in a perfect-every-time hole that only occasionally required an Exacto Knife to clean out a stubborn piece of plastic. <br /><br />I then placed several magnets on a scrap piece of sheet metal. &nbsp;A small drop of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Henkel-228806-Super-Control--14-Ounce/dp/B00A6ZAXHO">Loctite Gel Control</a> super glue was then applied to the hole in the base (a bottle of that stuff is good for hundreds of miniatures). &nbsp;One of the magnets was then slid near the edge of the metal and the miniature's base can be pressed onto it. &nbsp;Now, the metal can just be set on top of a paper towel covering some scrap wood and the miniature can be slid off of onto the paper towel with magnet embedded. &nbsp;The paper towel did a good job of wiping off the excess, but I still laid the miniature on its side until the glue had plenty of time to dry. &nbsp;Slide the next magnet over to the edge and repeat the process.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TA-p0Z4OzGU/VWKfEFF2rII/AAAAAAAABS0/MLuxYgkW52k/s1600/D7K_8937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TA-p0Z4OzGU/VWKfEFF2rII/AAAAAAAABS0/MLuxYgkW52k/s320/D7K_8937.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rare Earth Magnet counter-sunk into the plastic Zombicide base.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />This whole process may sound a bit confusing and complicated, but it was really simple once it got going. &nbsp;I did about 300 of them in about an hour once I got the process down. &nbsp;If anyone is interested in more details, comment below and I'd be happy to go back and add a few more photos and describe anything else in detail. &nbsp;For now, I'm just recording what I did as an outline so I can remember the steps I did after a few months pass.<br /><br />Here are the current trays filled with all the Zombicide figures I have thus far:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ioqzIFifPmY/VWKe4jkpqYI/AAAAAAAABSg/HThpLM0UJS0/s1600/D7K_8994.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ioqzIFifPmY/VWKe4jkpqYI/AAAAAAAABSg/HThpLM0UJS0/s640/D7K_8994.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />Not counting pre-existing tool purchases, this is a very economical and compact technique to store a large number of miniatures. &nbsp;It is super-quick to access and put away the miniatures which really relieves the drudgery of setup and tear-down of the game.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-otbdpRPWy2M/VWKe4mTuzdI/AAAAAAAABSk/1fzX_hB-UGE/s1600/D7K_8995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-otbdpRPWy2M/VWKe4mTuzdI/AAAAAAAABSk/1fzX_hB-UGE/s320/D7K_8995.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The figures stick very well to the metal allowing the trays to be turned upside down and tapped on without any figures falling off. &nbsp;Even fatties and abominations have no trouble with moving around or falling off. &nbsp;Only the A-Bomb from Rue Morgue posed a problem - it is taller than the 2" tray depth. &nbsp;Thanks to the flexible nature of this solution, I just used some Liquid Nails and glued a small piece of tin on one of the vertical sides of the box. &nbsp;Now the A-Bomb sticks to the wall like Spider Man. &nbsp;Out of paranoia, I did put three magnets in its base, but that was total overkill. &nbsp;You can see the A-Bomb clinging to the wall in the bottom left tray in the picture above.<br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dwFUUVVvFbg/VWKe4A6qGwI/AAAAAAAABSc/yeJdzkKzKvQ/s1600/D7K_8996.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dwFUUVVvFbg/VWKe4A6qGwI/AAAAAAAABSc/yeJdzkKzKvQ/s320/D7K_8996.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Each tray is capable of holding 96 miniatures which means the six-tray case can hold a whopping 576 figures! &nbsp;That might not be enough to hold every single miniature included in all of the base games, expansions, and Kickstarter exclusive content, but by my calculations it will hold everything I hope to buy at some point...at least until&nbsp;<a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/176189/zombicide-black-plague">Zombicide: Black Plague</a>&nbsp;comes out!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><br />Ryan Skowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01005219749335015663noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3370385557047658097.post-76056214331092435322015-05-24T22:15:00.000-05:002015-05-24T23:55:55.114-05:00Zombicide - Painting<br />As with the Toxic Zombies in the previous post, I used another of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xxm7Y0IJ10U">Sorastro's tutorial</a>s to paint the regular Zombies. &nbsp;For primer I again used <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Army-Painter-CP3013-Necrotic/dp/B005C3CZTY">Necrotic Flesh</a> and then Army Painter <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Army-Painter-Mega-Paint-Set/dp/B00HC9YNZU">paints</a> for the bulk of the painting. &nbsp;I painted a few highlights of Necrotic Flesh mixed with white before washing the skin with Strong Tone. <br /><br />For the clothing I generally used Citadel's Delvian Mud which has unfortunately been discontinued...as they tend to do with many of their colors every few years... &nbsp;Fortunately, I still had a pot left from a couple years ago which was still in good condition. &nbsp;Strong Tone is close, but the magical Mud still seems to give a slightly different look.<br /><br /><b>This time lets start with the 'family photo':</b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NAy4nmeQvq8/VWKPPezU1NI/AAAAAAAABSM/ZXR49KwQPHk/s1600/D7K_8908.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NAy4nmeQvq8/VWKPPezU1NI/AAAAAAAABSM/ZXR49KwQPHk/s640/D7K_8908.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><b>Here are some shots from within the crowd:</b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bmg4_wvV7yM/VWKJ11nWZAI/AAAAAAAABPg/JX1ibaWNd2I/s1600/D7K_8911.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bmg4_wvV7yM/VWKJ11nWZAI/AAAAAAAABPg/JX1ibaWNd2I/s640/D7K_8911.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qQO5_UEbBaA/VWKJ8XI88KI/AAAAAAAABPo/0tN8ToawccM/s1600/D7K_8913.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qQO5_UEbBaA/VWKJ8XI88KI/AAAAAAAABPo/0tN8ToawccM/s640/D7K_8913.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zyr20-6ftlY/VWKKAw4h3hI/AAAAAAAABP4/Ymx9iiHta28/s1600/D7K_8914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zyr20-6ftlY/VWKKAw4h3hI/AAAAAAAABP4/Ymx9iiHta28/s640/D7K_8914.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B9H0pUr6lOI/VWKKGhMHqaI/AAAAAAAABQQ/61HcWqhJ8RE/s1600/D7K_8915.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B9H0pUr6lOI/VWKKGhMHqaI/AAAAAAAABQQ/61HcWqhJ8RE/s640/D7K_8915.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c04WgWz3NAQ/VWKKGiOwlJI/AAAAAAAABQI/eW1QcKGcRH0/s1600/D7K_8916.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c04WgWz3NAQ/VWKKGiOwlJI/AAAAAAAABQI/eW1QcKGcRH0/s640/D7K_8916.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o5lzKJQJS9I/VWKKG-eUBlI/AAAAAAAABQM/MKREXUqQ-zQ/s1600/D7K_8918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o5lzKJQJS9I/VWKKG-eUBlI/AAAAAAAABQM/MKREXUqQ-zQ/s640/D7K_8918.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothing left in the FedEx truck to eat...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UmE2w0A0oGw/VWKKM-nyA4I/AAAAAAAABQo/fp2XWEGnDB8/s1600/D7K_8921.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UmE2w0A0oGw/VWKKM-nyA4I/AAAAAAAABQo/fp2XWEGnDB8/s640/D7K_8921.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CUFQ22alI5M/VWKKM9BeG7I/AAAAAAAABQk/Y4M66xlr_JQ/s1600/D7K_8923.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CUFQ22alI5M/VWKKM9BeG7I/AAAAAAAABQk/Y4M66xlr_JQ/s640/D7K_8923.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I like this guy's lamb chops.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m3CN-a28iAw/VWKKMi-600I/AAAAAAAABQg/6y_ynFt2rgY/s1600/D7K_8924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m3CN-a28iAw/VWKKMi-600I/AAAAAAAABQg/6y_ynFt2rgY/s640/D7K_8924.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This lady got a purse I made from two-part epoxy. &nbsp;That should help her stand out among the rest of her sculpt mates.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5tOZzgA0vEM/VWKKS7Z_BDI/AAAAAAAABQ4/IzE2umJHNJI/s1600/D7K_8926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5tOZzgA0vEM/VWKKS7Z_BDI/AAAAAAAABQ4/IzE2umJHNJI/s640/D7K_8926.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sWJLgMFZ4-8/VWKKT9rcHFI/AAAAAAAABRI/qsza1_9EL0Y/s1600/D7K_8929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sWJLgMFZ4-8/VWKKT9rcHFI/AAAAAAAABRI/qsza1_9EL0Y/s640/D7K_8929.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sKfev5BaMLY/VWKKTi8CQWI/AAAAAAAABQ8/ubQ1Cp9p2vg/s1600/D7K_8930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sKfev5BaMLY/VWKKTi8CQWI/AAAAAAAABQ8/ubQ1Cp9p2vg/s640/D7K_8930.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0frgK98Sfi0/VWKKaIqH3nI/AAAAAAAABRQ/3uI__U8G9Y4/s1600/D7K_8933.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0frgK98Sfi0/VWKKaIqH3nI/AAAAAAAABRQ/3uI__U8G9Y4/s640/D7K_8933.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SaGU1W0Igmw/VWKKbgNEGSI/AAAAAAAABRY/zLsZrJ2XEGg/s1600/D7K_8934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SaGU1W0Igmw/VWKKbgNEGSI/AAAAAAAABRY/zLsZrJ2XEGg/s640/D7K_8934.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I opted to cut the plastic off of each runner's foot/knee to give a more realistic look. &nbsp;I saw someone use a newspaper that was lifting up under the foot in the air which looked nice, but I didn't want to spend the time making fancy bases. &nbsp;The plastic is plenty strong and one foot should be plenty to keep the figure on the base.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mfPM5glMp4U/VWKKbrsc_xI/AAAAAAAABRc/HfAkfK1wNTQ/s1600/D7K_8938.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mfPM5glMp4U/VWKKbrsc_xI/AAAAAAAABRc/HfAkfK1wNTQ/s640/D7K_8938.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fancy hair style with a fancy suit.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zFlsTKAXiRY/VWKKesYErZI/AAAAAAAABRo/DHpW7IqKNRk/s1600/D7K_8939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zFlsTKAXiRY/VWKKesYErZI/AAAAAAAABRo/DHpW7IqKNRk/s640/D7K_8939.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I used a Dremel to dig out a portion of this guy's belly before stuffing in some two-part epoxy intestines I sculpted.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kyIGlD3Tj0A/VWKKhFh9M2I/AAAAAAAABRw/lSysL9kfS5c/s1600/D7K_8940.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kyIGlD3Tj0A/VWKKhFh9M2I/AAAAAAAABRw/lSysL9kfS5c/s640/D7K_8940.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looks like this guy is caught red handed as the perpetrator of the hole in the guy above's belly...&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ww0F8RNHMm4/VWKKh-a4yTI/AAAAAAAABR4/5U_fwknAJxs/s1600/D7K_8941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ww0F8RNHMm4/VWKKh-a4yTI/AAAAAAAABR4/5U_fwknAJxs/s640/D7K_8941.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To get the sweat effect, I watered down some sepia (or Soft Tone) and let a drop of it sit on the white base-coated shirt. &nbsp;After a few seconds, I used a brush to suck up the drop of wash. &nbsp;The edges start to dry before the middle which lets the edge of the stain become more prominent.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nKktpODbf68/VWKKizJ0g4I/AAAAAAAABSA/QhYjHLH0kVU/s1600/D7K_8942.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nKktpODbf68/VWKKizJ0g4I/AAAAAAAABSA/QhYjHLH0kVU/s640/D7K_8942.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This guy had an unfortunate accident with the chainsaw... &nbsp;I didn't really care for the gloves and was looking for a way to mix it up a bit.</td></tr></tbody></table><b><br /></b><b>Here is a picture of each grouped in its original pose:</b><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FxGRZWlvZLY/VWKDiUjSRcI/AAAAAAAABLw/Zqmkzj1oE5o/s1600/D7K_8944.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FxGRZWlvZLY/VWKDiUjSRcI/AAAAAAAABLw/Zqmkzj1oE5o/s640/D7K_8944.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fatty males - adding hair is the biggest addition to break up the monotony.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aoNExAd6lcg/VWKDeE33oUI/AAAAAAAABLg/8UMhXZtd9X4/s1600/D7K_8943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aoNExAd6lcg/VWKDeE33oUI/AAAAAAAABLg/8UMhXZtd9X4/s640/D7K_8943.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The jumpsuits can get a little boring if the inside isn't painted a different shade than the rest. &nbsp;Thank you very much to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD7Q56qYo7vbO8QRrqN-3gA">Teri Litorco</a>&nbsp;for pointing out this simple tip in her <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s98_pID5hmM">YouTube tutorial</a>!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XLV0LTgpPks/VWKDYDdcczI/AAAAAAAABLQ/HlAUala8HFE/s1600/D7K_8945.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XLV0LTgpPks/VWKDYDdcczI/AAAAAAAABLQ/HlAUala8HFE/s640/D7K_8945.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fatty females. &nbsp;Even though there are a couple different original sculpts here, it would have been nice if the originals were wearing different clothing styles. &nbsp;The nightgown/dress just doesn't give them enough of a distinct look.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R03whUVGITU/VWKDb7vNNLI/AAAAAAAABLY/O6xYytKbJ2M/s1600/D7K_8946.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R03whUVGITU/VWKDb7vNNLI/AAAAAAAABLY/O6xYytKbJ2M/s640/D7K_8946.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VsBbBCZYfE0/VWKDgbksgjI/AAAAAAAABLo/-HQSSPt9IQU/s1600/D7K_8947.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VsBbBCZYfE0/VWKDgbksgjI/AAAAAAAABLo/-HQSSPt9IQU/s640/D7K_8947.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The abominations turned out pretty well, but probably could use a little gore. &nbsp;I'll probably go back later and add some blood effects on all the figures. &nbsp;I'm not sure what sculpter decided it would be cute to add a 'well positioned' thermos hanging between the legs of the abomination on the left...I took the liberty of trimming it off so I could look at the model and see it as a fear inspiring beast that it should be.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EkH_kOR6hlg/VWKDiworqXI/AAAAAAAABL0/fZFyHM_LrDo/s1600/D7K_8948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EkH_kOR6hlg/VWKDiworqXI/AAAAAAAABL0/fZFyHM_LrDo/s640/D7K_8948.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MJSP_NZ0MWQ/VWKDmyRB3RI/AAAAAAAABMA/AvuR3P3xI-E/s1600/D7K_8949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MJSP_NZ0MWQ/VWKDmyRB3RI/AAAAAAAABMA/AvuR3P3xI-E/s640/D7K_8949.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here are the runners. &nbsp;Lots of arm position changes and hair styles were needed to break up the few unique sculpts.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lh1THrZmD6c/VWKDpAXsLzI/AAAAAAAABMI/Q1dimoj-Jck/s1600/D7K_8950.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lh1THrZmD6c/VWKDpAXsLzI/AAAAAAAABMI/Q1dimoj-Jck/s640/D7K_8950.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MZRJxyqnEQM/VWKDpdY0tTI/AAAAAAAABMM/cYk3uo8xsZI/s1600/D7K_8951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MZRJxyqnEQM/VWKDpdY0tTI/AAAAAAAABMM/cYk3uo8xsZI/s640/D7K_8951.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZriWXgsXJ34/VWKDra4o7HI/AAAAAAAABMY/NOKQcFj7DSU/s1600/D7K_8952.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZriWXgsXJ34/VWKDra4o7HI/AAAAAAAABMY/NOKQcFj7DSU/s640/D7K_8952.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are still a lot of female Zombies to paint - most of which have some bit of underwear showing. &nbsp;I don't mind a couple of them with their skivvies hanging out, but with so few sculpts it just looked a bit odd to have all their dresses blowing open at the same time. &nbsp;In any case, I did quite a bit of work on all of them with two-part epoxy adding pants, skirts, and dresses.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BIERG_JCSfY/VWKDvUpks3I/AAAAAAAABMg/ZkVN9rvFYbU/s1600/D7K_8953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BIERG_JCSfY/VWKDvUpks3I/AAAAAAAABMg/ZkVN9rvFYbU/s640/D7K_8953.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ltX83KZPiQE/VWKDwMjznGI/AAAAAAAABMo/7MAPbrJIJfQ/s1600/D7K_8954.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ltX83KZPiQE/VWKDwMjznGI/AAAAAAAABMo/7MAPbrJIJfQ/s640/D7K_8954.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W1ikFyKeJNk/VWKDxgTFkAI/AAAAAAAABMw/8PnVlG5Papg/s1600/D7K_8955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W1ikFyKeJNk/VWKDxgTFkAI/AAAAAAAABMw/8PnVlG5Papg/s640/D7K_8955.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0Kl6RLveqjI/VWKD2T7bwdI/AAAAAAAABM4/UT4JHERKNJs/s1600/D7K_8956.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0Kl6RLveqjI/VWKD2T7bwdI/AAAAAAAABM4/UT4JHERKNJs/s640/D7K_8956.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9CQdebSlpTE/VWKD2kpBUjI/AAAAAAAABM8/qI-dTyAblCE/s1600/D7K_8957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9CQdebSlpTE/VWKD2kpBUjI/AAAAAAAABM8/qI-dTyAblCE/s640/D7K_8957.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b2oZ1ZZKYbQ/VWKD4RygvcI/AAAAAAAABNI/22qawOEfBlc/s1600/D7K_8958.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b2oZ1ZZKYbQ/VWKD4RygvcI/AAAAAAAABNI/22qawOEfBlc/s640/D7K_8958.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These were fun (and quick) to paint - I guess that is why there are so many of this sculpt painted. &nbsp;These also best retained the hot water treatment to alter their poses. &nbsp;I think it is because I really heated them up and bent them in extreme positions. &nbsp;Hopefully they don't decide to revert, but they've been like this for a couple months at least...I'll not leave them in a hot vehicle though... ;)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QI2CjOXvTgg/VWKD9hV9icI/AAAAAAAABNQ/xGLayLLYTI4/s1600/D7K_8959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QI2CjOXvTgg/VWKD9hV9icI/AAAAAAAABNQ/xGLayLLYTI4/s640/D7K_8959.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PjT3nFXgkQA/VWKEDbEHLUI/AAAAAAAABNo/cnIngRt4ppo/s1600/D7K_8962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PjT3nFXgkQA/VWKEDbEHLUI/AAAAAAAABNo/cnIngRt4ppo/s640/D7K_8962.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LXzrJjG1aOA/VWKEEg1wbTI/AAAAAAAABN0/7S_YMTyefCg/s1600/D7K_8963.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LXzrJjG1aOA/VWKEEg1wbTI/AAAAAAAABN0/7S_YMTyefCg/s640/D7K_8963.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q6aaKwCv4wM/VWKEEcIUocI/AAAAAAAABNw/Se_7oLciT2g/s1600/D7K_8964.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q6aaKwCv4wM/VWKEEcIUocI/AAAAAAAABNw/Se_7oLciT2g/s640/D7K_8964.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WvstIFBI1xY/VWKEItMMdMI/AAAAAAAABOA/y58GD-fjtcg/s1600/D7K_8965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WvstIFBI1xY/VWKEItMMdMI/AAAAAAAABOA/y58GD-fjtcg/s640/D7K_8965.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jt1TKn4V3gM/VWKEKuZqziI/AAAAAAAABOI/KsgRJa2jsRw/s1600/D7K_8966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jt1TKn4V3gM/VWKEKuZqziI/AAAAAAAABOI/KsgRJa2jsRw/s640/D7K_8966.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For some reason I only painted one of the sculpts on the far left so I threw him in with these so he wasn't lonely.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tIYLInImKRY/VWKELAGvLdI/AAAAAAAABOQ/6xzmMDDY9ZU/s1600/D7K_8967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tIYLInImKRY/VWKELAGvLdI/AAAAAAAABOQ/6xzmMDDY9ZU/s640/D7K_8967.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CANRiHTyY98/VWKEQGswcgI/AAAAAAAABOY/KMyBBiS3obU/s1600/D7K_8968.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CANRiHTyY98/VWKEQGswcgI/AAAAAAAABOY/KMyBBiS3obU/s640/D7K_8968.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LIysq3V2Urc/VWKERTTC_BI/AAAAAAAABOg/CQuuzCOISVQ/s1600/D7K_8969.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LIysq3V2Urc/VWKERTTC_BI/AAAAAAAABOg/CQuuzCOISVQ/s640/D7K_8969.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3Dhlrcz5WqY/VWKER37pkRI/AAAAAAAABOk/NbkncnR7E9k/s1600/D7K_8970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3Dhlrcz5WqY/VWKER37pkRI/AAAAAAAABOk/NbkncnR7E9k/s640/D7K_8970.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dreadlocks give this guy a distinct look compared to his bald original sculpt.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IuJoEqMI1yo/VWKEVds2WcI/AAAAAAAABOw/ZQQa54BCoRI/s1600/D7K_8971.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IuJoEqMI1yo/VWKEVds2WcI/AAAAAAAABOw/ZQQa54BCoRI/s640/D7K_8971.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zEDK_gZU8Vc/VWKEXqPp9BI/AAAAAAAABO8/VrZ43FU-jjg/s1600/D7K_8973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zEDK_gZU8Vc/VWKEXqPp9BI/AAAAAAAABO8/VrZ43FU-jjg/s640/D7K_8973.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These guys had minimal hair work and no arm modifications...they are in sync enough to be dancing in Thriller. &nbsp;I'll have to be sure to do a few more mods to the others of the same sculpt before painting them.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-akc8ffNgGCY/VWKEXaN2FKI/AAAAAAAABO4/Wj_cjaxbHxk/s1600/D7K_8972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-akc8ffNgGCY/VWKEXaN2FKI/AAAAAAAABO4/Wj_cjaxbHxk/s640/D7K_8972.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--S5gV16dwIM/VWKEaMiAVmI/AAAAAAAABPI/mwUYJeK6TBg/s1600/D7K_8974.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--S5gV16dwIM/VWKEaMiAVmI/AAAAAAAABPI/mwUYJeK6TBg/s640/D7K_8974.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Took off the hat and added hair to one of these guys. &nbsp;Their arms are basically fused to their bodies making it a bit difficult to do much more with the pose.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-70V7QQBkFWw/VWKEa0NZDzI/AAAAAAAABPM/4qGR3wfGt28/s1600/D7K_8975.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-70V7QQBkFWw/VWKEa0NZDzI/AAAAAAAABPM/4qGR3wfGt28/s640/D7K_8975.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />I don't mind painting Zombies as they go pretty quick and really add a lot to the game over gray plastic... Hopefully I'll be able to get up enough ambition (and skill) to paint the Survivors.<br /><br />Ryan Skowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01005219749335015663noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3370385557047658097.post-7667431899209351322015-05-24T21:01:00.001-05:002015-05-24T21:01:21.454-05:00Zombicide - Toxic City Mall - Painting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Below are some photos of the Toxic Zombies I've got painted up so far. &nbsp;Many of them have been modified in some way to give a unique look to them all rather than some sort of rank &amp; file uniform appearance.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Initially I tried dipping them in boiling water and adjusting arm, leg, and torso positions as I mentioned on this message board <a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1339603/hot-water-re-positioning-poses">posting</a>. &nbsp;Although they looked excellent and it took very little time, most of them slowly reverted back to their original positions over the course of a month. &nbsp;I then went back to cutting and re-positioning limbs which turned out well and helped break up the monotony of poses. &nbsp;Hair was also added to many of the figures to give each a unique flair.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There are a few painting styles for Toxic Zombies that I found and I chose to follow the excellent instructions <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sorastros-Painting/941329685901532">Sorastro</a> has <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v04_E8mkLLE">here</a>. &nbsp;I left the original bases and opted for a simple matte black with green stripe around each. &nbsp;The runners are noted by a set of red stripes over the green.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Enough text...here are the photos grouped by their original pose:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VP3oQmz66sw/VWJeRuKvpDI/AAAAAAAABI0/CqkpOLljipg/s1600/D7K_8977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="420" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VP3oQmz66sw/VWJeRuKvpDI/AAAAAAAABI0/CqkpOLljipg/s640/D7K_8977.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dZ0SzV__WT4/VWJeRtOy0cI/AAAAAAAABI4/TJy8pS_WiwA/s1600/D7K_8978.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dZ0SzV__WT4/VWJeRtOy0cI/AAAAAAAABI4/TJy8pS_WiwA/s640/D7K_8978.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">I didn't want a whole baseball team running around so I decided to remove the hats from many of them.&nbsp;</div></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l-6NFHXVkU0/VWJeRu0tZUI/AAAAAAAABI8/NOEAxTWhaIk/s1600/D7K_8979.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l-6NFHXVkU0/VWJeRu0tZUI/AAAAAAAABI8/NOEAxTWhaIk/s640/D7K_8979.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Female Zombies from the Toxic Crowd expansion&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mBm-rTjE674/VWJeZlv5RGI/AAAAAAAABJM/L3dc9vmk5Pw/s1600/D7K_8980.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mBm-rTjE674/VWJeZlv5RGI/AAAAAAAABJM/L3dc9vmk5Pw/s640/D7K_8980.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--uGOh4nxR70/VWJeaGHcc7I/AAAAAAAABJU/z1Xmy5Dtpas/s1600/D7K_8981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--uGOh4nxR70/VWJeaGHcc7I/AAAAAAAABJU/z1Xmy5Dtpas/s640/D7K_8981.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">&nbsp;Different hair styles and arm positions give each of these ladies a unique look.</span></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_GbtK6JVT-8/VWJeaGK43XI/AAAAAAAABJQ/0yCEqwHId2Y/s1600/D7K_8982.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_GbtK6JVT-8/VWJeaGK43XI/AAAAAAAABJQ/0yCEqwHId2Y/s640/D7K_8982.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s6YnEWGgmVY/VWJehsQn9QI/AAAAAAAABJk/R1_XbN3phCc/s1600/D7K_8983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s6YnEWGgmVY/VWJehsQn9QI/AAAAAAAABJk/R1_XbN3phCc/s640/D7K_8983.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oMW22a3gAxA/VWJejKGAEEI/AAAAAAAABJs/qE1HDN7PsxY/s1600/D7K_8984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oMW22a3gAxA/VWJejKGAEEI/AAAAAAAABJs/qE1HDN7PsxY/s640/D7K_8984.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lUYkN09AHzU/VWJekOqAs-I/AAAAAAAABJ0/XJyBPTNwt5g/s1600/D7K_8985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lUYkN09AHzU/VWJekOqAs-I/AAAAAAAABJ0/XJyBPTNwt5g/s640/D7K_8985.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E0jEFfW4-Rs/VWJep97Ca-I/AAAAAAAABJ8/vAEZiNM8Uw8/s1600/D7K_8986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E0jEFfW4-Rs/VWJep97Ca-I/AAAAAAAABJ8/vAEZiNM8Uw8/s640/D7K_8986.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mGpzpIENdsc/VWJerOVSObI/AAAAAAAABKE/4WXH5RsH57c/s1600/D7K_8987.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mGpzpIENdsc/VWJerOVSObI/AAAAAAAABKE/4WXH5RsH57c/s640/D7K_8987.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--_o41vpJna0/VWJeriOH-aI/AAAAAAAABKI/DmF4ui7roeA/s1600/D7K_8988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--_o41vpJna0/VWJeriOH-aI/AAAAAAAABKI/DmF4ui7roeA/s640/D7K_8988.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Cbt73vaccTs/VWJeyBYo9oI/AAAAAAAABKU/PwOBt2jZ7Gw/s1600/D7K_8989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Cbt73vaccTs/VWJeyBYo9oI/AAAAAAAABKU/PwOBt2jZ7Gw/s640/D7K_8989.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LnglD8D2Wnw/VWJez7_ITnI/AAAAAAAABKc/RvuIfrow4J0/s1600/D7K_8990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LnglD8D2Wnw/VWJez7_ITnI/AAAAAAAABKc/RvuIfrow4J0/s640/D7K_8990.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6aME8ePLEyA/VWJe0pq8yBI/AAAAAAAABKg/MD6DNenW2bU/s1600/D7K_8991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6aME8ePLEyA/VWJe0pq8yBI/AAAAAAAABKg/MD6DNenW2bU/s640/D7K_8991.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Toxic Abomination.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fAlWzZJUseU/VWJe2AiAfqI/AAAAAAAABKs/lWB-Vr3-8HQ/s1600/D7K_8992.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="423" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fAlWzZJUseU/VWJe2AiAfqI/AAAAAAAABKs/lWB-Vr3-8HQ/s640/D7K_8992.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />Overall I think they turned out fairly decent. &nbsp;The Army Painter paints worked well and I like the tones/inks the Mega Set II comes with. &nbsp;To start with I primed them in Army Painter&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Army-Painter-CP3013-Necrotic/dp/B005C3CZTY">Necrotic Flesh</a> and also followed Sorastro's suggestion and used Citadel's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Callums-Toy-Heaven-Citadel-Glaze">Waywatcher Green</a> glaze to give the green skin tone. &nbsp;There is also a bit of&nbsp;Citadel's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Callums-Toy-Heaven-NURGLES-ROT/dp/B00WCCP32E">Nurgle's Rot</a> seeping out of some of the fatties. &nbsp;I also used Nurgle's Rot on the tongues of the Zombies, after sealing with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Testors-Aerosol-Enamel-3oz-Dullcote-Lacquer/dp/B009FF6DN4">Testor's Dull Cote</a>, to give them a bit of a sickly yellow shine.<br /><br />That is it for the Toxic family for now - oh, except for the family photo!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IZkVswFG6Rg/VWKBEaquVQI/AAAAAAAABLE/CMqejI_Nst4/s1600/D7K_8900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IZkVswFG6Rg/VWKBEaquVQI/AAAAAAAABLE/CMqejI_Nst4/s640/D7K_8900.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />Ryan Skowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01005219749335015663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3370385557047658097.post-24848504441268023482015-05-24T18:18:00.002-05:002015-05-24T21:01:30.939-05:00Zombicide!A couple months several present and past co-workers decided to get together for a game night after work. One friend of mine suggested we play <a href="http://zombicide.com/">Zombicide</a> which I had heard of a few years ago, but somehow lost track of it and never played. It looked like a good team building game given its co-op nature and seemed like it would be fairly easy to pick up even by those whose most in-depth gaming experience until now was <a href="http://www.hasbro.com/monopoly">Monopoly</a> (no offense - I like that game too). <br /><br />Anyway, we all had a great time and after the single play I was hooked. I found that I'd missed all the <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/coolminiornot/zombicide">Kickstarter</a> <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/coolminiornot/zombicide-season-2">excitement</a> (and exclusive <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/coolminiornot/zombicide-season-3">content</a>), but was glad to see that the original game and most of the expansions had made it to retail stores including my local hobby store and of course online. <br /><br />Painting miniature figures has never been one of my favorite things to do as I generally prefer to build and paint terrain for games to take place on. My plan is to build some 3D scenery as others&nbsp;(<a href="http://www.coolminiornot.com/forums/showthread.php?55162">here</a> and <a href="http://www.lead-adventure.de/index.php?topic=75049.0">here</a>) have done to supplement the game. Rather than replicate the exact tiles from the game, I think it would be neat to base a new set of tiles off of downtown Des Moines, Iowa (USA) (the largest city closest to where I live). Before getting to that project, however, I thought getting the figures out of the way would be a good idea as I may run out of steam before getting to them. <br /><br />All of my semi-current paints are geared towards terrain (larger quantity, lesser quality) so if I was going to paint miniatures, I'd need something a little more fresh than my random assortment of 15-20 year old Games Workshop, Ral Partha, and other mostly dried up pots. Army Painter made a good move to pair with CoolMiniOrNot and deploy a line of paints and tutorials on painting the Zombicide miniatures. If I was completely new to painting, I probably would have purchased the exact paints they advertised, but I decided to go with the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HC9YNZU">Mega Paint Set II</a>. I've been quite pleased with the paint consistency and quality as well as the brushes that were included. The brushes don't quite stack up to my classic <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000OL1UUY">Winsor &amp; Newton Series 7 (size 1)</a>, but the regiment brush holds a decent point and can carry quite a bit of paint. <br /><br />With paints in hand, I decided to take the plunge into painting minis again... &nbsp;Keep an eye out for my next posting which will be much lighter on words and much heavier on pictures!Ryan Skowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01005219749335015663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3370385557047658097.post-20441090337859256832013-11-06T22:42:00.001-06:002013-11-06T23:10:34.340-06:00Capturing Clervaux - The Final Hour - Book Released!Claude Joachim from Luxembourg has published two books documenting his multi-year journey of creating his now finished work of art - Diorama Clervaux. &nbsp;His first book starts off by giving some history around the World War II setting of the diorama and then steps through the building of the Château itself. &nbsp;The second book, published in October 2013, starts with a brief recap of the setting and then dives right into the building of the city surrounding the castle.<br /><br />Many of the tasks (such as placing thousands of slate roofing tiles and individual cobblestones) take quite a bit of brute force, however, Mr. Joachim provides several tips to enable these and various other tasks to be done in a consistent and high quality manner. &nbsp;His approach to modelling the river (described in the second book) is very interesting and I look forward to trying it out sometime. &nbsp;I really enjoyed learning about the thought process and planning that Mr. Joachim follows for each building and the overall layout. &nbsp;He points out the mistakes he made as well as what went well. &nbsp;Even though everything I build is approximately 1/48th scale and Diorama Clervaux is in 1/35 scale, I find both books to be an excellent reference and the techniques described within apply very well to the smaller scale.<br /><br />The first book I have read cover to cover several times and often go back and look at the high-quality photos for building inspiration. &nbsp;The second book follows suit with the first as far as quality photos go. &nbsp;So far I have only read through the second book cover-to-cover once during the two weeks I had it. &nbsp;I definitely look forward to starting it again. &nbsp;For a small taste of the photos, you can check them out on Mr. Joachim's <a href="http://www.diorama-clervaux.com/indexgallery.html">gallery</a> page. &nbsp;The books contain many more detail photos, but even more valuable (to me at least) is the descriptions of how things were constructed.<br /><br />I have followed Mr. Joachim's <a href="http://www.diorama-clervaux.com/Blog/index.php">blog</a> for a few years. &nbsp;His project serves as an example of patience and persistence and I am very pleased to be able to hold a small part of it in my hands in the form of the two books. &nbsp;One day, I hope to make it overseas to view the diorama in person. &nbsp;According to his blog, I'll have to visit the city of Clervaux itself since the diorama has been accepted into their museum! <br /><br />If you are interested in learning new techniques on creating scale models from scratch, are interested in WWII history and the Battle of the Bulge, or simply appreciate unique works of art, I highly recommend ordering both of the books currently available on the Diorama Clervaux web site: &nbsp;<a href="http://www.diorama-clervaux.com/index.html">http://www.diorama-clervaux.com</a><br /><br /><br /><br />Ryan Skowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01005219749335015663noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3370385557047658097.post-68559907389694199582013-04-02T22:14:00.000-05:002013-04-03T13:16:41.075-05:002013 Spring Recruits ConventionI'm planning on running my Force on Force Bush Wars "Down on the Farm" scenario again THIS weekend at the Recruits convention near Kansas City.&nbsp; Here is a link to their web site:<br /><a href="http://recruits.mtswebsites.com/">http://recruits.mtswebsites.com</a><br /><br />A couple weeks ago I dusted off the rules and played the scenario with a few friends.&nbsp; I'm sure glad we did because it turns out I was pretty rusty on the rules.&nbsp; Hopefully most of the cobwebs have been swept away and the game runs smoothly on Saturday.<br /><br />If you happen to be going to the convention and are interested, the game runs on Saturday at 1PM.&nbsp; There are only four player slots due to the limited number of squads in this scenario so sign up early if you want to give it a shot!Ryan Skowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01005219749335015663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3370385557047658097.post-47440976485619729872012-10-02T17:13:00.001-05:002012-10-02T17:25:50.013-05:00Force on Force - Bush Wars - Down on the Farm AAR - Fields of Honor - Fall 2012<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EKrMK5M8Pq4/UGtFWyTIqHI/AAAAAAAAAj4/_sk1idJufBE/s1600/D7K_2353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sVe5PlYPjSY/UGtppiTd4kI/AAAAAAAAAn4/SJfjN7ttk0E/s1600/D7K_2353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sVe5PlYPjSY/UGtppiTd4kI/AAAAAAAAAn4/SJfjN7ttk0E/s400/D7K_2353.jpg" width="391" /></a>This past weekend at <a href="http://fields-of-honor.org/">Fields of Honor</a>, I ran three games of the Down on the Farm scenario out of Ambush Alley's Bush Wars expansion.&nbsp; This AAR covers all three games we played.<br /><br />Everything set up and ready to go.&nbsp; The deployment zone for the ZANLA was declared as 2' from the far edge relative to the picture to the right.&nbsp; The civilian farmers started in the farmhouse and the guard force started in the small building on the bottom-left which is attached to the larger storage building.<br /><br />As a house rule (based on historical accounts) we counted a -1 penalty for RPGs shooting through chain link fence. &nbsp; It didn't have that much impact on the game since the ZANLA players moved nearly every round and the 1/2 firepower die due to night fighting resulted in 3 die firepower anyway.&nbsp; It gave the fence more of a game impact and provided some motivation for the ZANLA to close in.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V4-8E35QeVY/UGtFZe3nJ1I/AAAAAAAAAkA/ceVxzdYNzsc/s1600/D7K_2355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V4-8E35QeVY/UGtFZe3nJ1I/AAAAAAAAAkA/ceVxzdYNzsc/s400/D7K_2355.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><b>Friday - 1st game.</b><br /><br />ZANLA deployed and have initiative.&nbsp; They retained initiative throughout the game. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J5aMUI1yCtk/UGtFa728e5I/AAAAAAAAAkI/5ekvCxMrOJM/s1600/D7K_2356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J5aMUI1yCtk/UGtFa728e5I/AAAAAAAAAkI/5ekvCxMrOJM/s400/D7K_2356.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The left flank was first to reach the fence.&nbsp; Neither of these two squads were spotted, nor could they spot any targets to engage so they rushed forward.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YUZZp3B_BQU/UGtFc9os7iI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/4m9Y_VykqqE/s1600/D7K_2357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YUZZp3B_BQU/UGtFc9os7iI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/4m9Y_VykqqE/s400/D7K_2357.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The right flank exchanged some rounds of fire with the farmhouse occupants, but no casualties were inflicted.&nbsp; Throwing so few dice (3D6) into the farmers' stout defense (5D8) seemed a bit futile so they decided to move in closer.<br /><br />Note that we ignored the 'In Cover' bonus dice as it would have just further made the Rhodesians even more untouchable.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UmT3RiVCfjM/UGtFeohXjLI/AAAAAAAAAkY/Xv4m2RwAQB4/s1600/D7K_2359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UmT3RiVCfjM/UGtFeohXjLI/AAAAAAAAAkY/Xv4m2RwAQB4/s400/D7K_2359.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Here are the six players plus one alternate who I said could run the police section if/when it showed up.&nbsp; Six players is probably a few too many for this scenario since everyone only had one squad to run.&nbsp; Fortunately nobody was wiped out early in the game partially thanks to the half firepower the night fighting rules imposed.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yB9qKi3vgio/UGtFidR7KiI/AAAAAAAAAkg/tuS34cvSvBE/s1600/D7K_2360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yB9qKi3vgio/UGtFidR7KiI/AAAAAAAAAkg/tuS34cvSvBE/s400/D7K_2360.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>ZANLA units prepare to activate and surge forward.&nbsp; Note that there are two squads in this group.&nbsp; The small squad sized outlined in the scenario seems to be a significant issue in general and certainly will turn out to be for both&nbsp; evening games.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6YEhMN8BVfk/UGtFkamiXFI/AAAAAAAAAko/1Tviygy9fhI/s1600/D7K_2361.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6YEhMN8BVfk/UGtFkamiXFI/AAAAAAAAAko/1Tviygy9fhI/s400/D7K_2361.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The Rhodesian players placed their booby trap at the intersection of the four boards near the carport.&nbsp; This happened to be right where the two ZANLA units crossed.&nbsp; In the photo, the leading unit activated first and the farmers held off springing the trap until the second unit activated and was within the 4" blast radius.&nbsp; Due to some poor rolling by the Rhodesian player and good rolling by the ZANLA player, not a single casualty was taken by either unit.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dfIsOa5B-h0/UGtFmVEmANI/AAAAAAAAAkw/67f18DKyxPw/s1600/D7K_2362.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dfIsOa5B-h0/UGtFmVEmANI/AAAAAAAAAkw/67f18DKyxPw/s400/D7K_2362.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The ZANLA sneak under the cover of darkness around the Rhodesian right flank.&nbsp; Both sides had significant problems with spotting each other to properly engage.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qqh71kxYK8Y/UGtForSRnhI/AAAAAAAAAk4/AmEKcP5JdAM/s1600/D7K_2363.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qqh71kxYK8Y/UGtForSRnhI/AAAAAAAAAk4/AmEKcP5JdAM/s400/D7K_2363.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Unscathed by the blast, the trailing ZANLA unit takes cover in the carport building.&nbsp; The other unit on this flank took fire from the farmers who were finally able to spot them.&nbsp; Although not pinned, the ZANLA's return fire was ineffective against the well defended farmers.&nbsp; Neither side rolled particularly well or poorly, but the statistics alone kept the small ZANLA squads from being effective.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ko4IdFX0fkA/UGtFqQelYKI/AAAAAAAAAlA/oik0eHutilI/s1600/D7K_2364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ko4IdFX0fkA/UGtFqQelYKI/AAAAAAAAAlA/oik0eHutilI/s400/D7K_2364.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Two ZANLA squads on the Rhodesian right flank prepare to rush towards the house.&nbsp; I did warn the ZANLA players that their comrades had heard rumor of these farmers pulling out shotguns for close range.&nbsp; They didn't listen...;)<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CsE-2DOmEUc/UGtFsC1lGrI/AAAAAAAAAlI/WfihqiU1Aqc/s1600/D7K_2365.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CsE-2DOmEUc/UGtFsC1lGrI/AAAAAAAAAlI/WfihqiU1Aqc/s400/D7K_2365.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>As they closed, each squad took at least one casualty, but eventually got to within reduced optimum range fairly intact.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iWvlrad0OSw/UGtFwgCuFuI/AAAAAAAAAlY/qcosTiWmrEA/s1600/D7K_2368.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iWvlrad0OSw/UGtFwgCuFuI/AAAAAAAAAlY/qcosTiWmrEA/s400/D7K_2368.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Once they reached the 4" optimum range of the farmers, the casualties began piling up.&nbsp; One of the ZANLA units moved into the farmhouse for a close assault.&nbsp; <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-48QpWuQrq3w/UGtFy37r5EI/AAAAAAAAAlg/biwlaQioHE0/s1600/D7K_2369.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-48QpWuQrq3w/UGtFy37r5EI/AAAAAAAAAlg/biwlaQioHE0/s400/D7K_2369.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The farmers quickly subdued them with their double-dice shotguns and managed to keep two prisoners.<br /><br />Up to this point the player running the guard force unit held position partially due to failing several spot checks.&nbsp; Seeing the ZANLA charging the house, they decided to move forward to take position in the carport.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xQGfw-jM4zU/UGtF0ueR2oI/AAAAAAAAAlo/Pfb7ZPnZ-nE/s1600/D7K_2370.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xQGfw-jM4zU/UGtF0ueR2oI/AAAAAAAAAlo/Pfb7ZPnZ-nE/s400/D7K_2370.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>&nbsp;While the farmers held onto their right flank, the guard force made the move into close combat and quickly cleared the left flank of any opposition.<br /><br />The police force eventually made their troop quality test, but by the time they did, the ZANLA were pretty much finished off so we called the game.<br /><br />The ZANLA failed to inflict a single casualty on the Rhodesians.&nbsp; This type of thing can happen in Force on Force, but this one was particularly dismal if playing on the ZANLA side.&nbsp; Rolling so few dice on the attack due to the night fighting rules really made it tough on the D6 TQ troops who depend on making up for lack of quality with quantity...<br /><br /><hr /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-scKiDFvxc9Y/UGtF2x2m95I/AAAAAAAAAlw/vsC76JCreYE/s1600/D7K_2371.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-scKiDFvxc9Y/UGtF2x2m95I/AAAAAAAAAlw/vsC76JCreYE/s400/D7K_2371.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><b>Friday - 2nd game.</b><br /><br /><br />The second game was played by four players including myself.&nbsp; Two of the others had played in the first game and we convinced another passer-by to join in as well.&nbsp; The setup was the same and only planned on changing tactics to see if that helped matters any.&nbsp; Running into the shotguns obviously didn't work well so the ZANLA players planned to hold back and shoot.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mJ1ANRuagI0/UGtF499NMJI/AAAAAAAAAl4/deqllDaNx1Q/s1600/D7K_2372.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mJ1ANRuagI0/UGtF499NMJI/AAAAAAAAAl4/deqllDaNx1Q/s400/D7K_2372.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mJ1ANRuagI0/UGtF499NMJI/AAAAAAAAAl4/deqllDaNx1Q/s1600/D7K_2372.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />We probably should have kept the police force out of the equation, but they showed up on time and threw a monkey wrench into the ZANLA plan and took out one of the squads without much issue.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gH6qIGnlTBg/UGtF6lUCOTI/AAAAAAAAAmA/N9_-rUKfLhQ/s1600/D7K_2373.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gH6qIGnlTBg/UGtF6lUCOTI/AAAAAAAAAmA/N9_-rUKfLhQ/s400/D7K_2373.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The ZANLA players contemplate their strategy as the guard force takes up residence in the carport.&nbsp; Attrition, mostly due to the Rhodesians rolling a few 7&amp;8s on the attack die, prevented yet another ZANLA attack from being successful.&nbsp; We kept playing for awhile, but I didn't take many photos as all positions were fairly static.&nbsp; Different tactics, same end result.&nbsp; The ZANLA units definitely seemed too small to be effective.&nbsp; <br /><br /><hr /><b>Saturday</b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3LM-1ljw_X4/UGtF8n3ltsI/AAAAAAAAAmI/a4qnaY4Wd38/s1600/D7K_2374.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3LM-1ljw_X4/UGtF8n3ltsI/AAAAAAAAAmI/a4qnaY4Wd38/s400/D7K_2374.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The player who was the alternate was able to get into the game the next day which also turned out to be full.<br /><br />The setup was exactly the same, but I modified the scenario by adding two more figures to each ZANLA unit, reduced the farmhouse from 2D cover to 1D cover, and removed the support weapon from the police force.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M0p32k1VXV4/UGtF-i0n6nI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/lQiteAyHev0/s1600/D7K_2375.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M0p32k1VXV4/UGtF-i0n6nI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/lQiteAyHev0/s400/D7K_2375.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The guard force immediately moved from the storage buildings into the carport.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fw6rSZbGp0c/UGtGA5oQ4eI/AAAAAAAAAmY/HQFVEgS-BkE/s1600/D7K_2376.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fw6rSZbGp0c/UGtGA5oQ4eI/AAAAAAAAAmY/HQFVEgS-BkE/s400/D7K_2376.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The ZANLA forces moved towards the fence after several spotting failures.&nbsp; Hardly a shot was fired the first four turns due to spotting failures, but one of the farmers did suffer a serious wound. <br /><br />Again, the Rhodesian players declared the booby trap to be in the same location and the ZANLA unit on the left flank happened to walk right over it.&nbsp; This time they weren't so lucky and sustained casualties, failed morale, and proved to be mostly ineffective the rest of the game.&nbsp; The booby trap definitely turned out to be effective.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MnqA1oDN5JM/UGtGCin7KDI/AAAAAAAAAmg/bCRsQWtZx-M/s1600/D7K_2377.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MnqA1oDN5JM/UGtGCin7KDI/AAAAAAAAAmg/bCRsQWtZx-M/s400/D7K_2377.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The police section showed up on time and made an entrance at the rear flank of the ZANLA.&nbsp; They had their own share of failed spot checks due to the darkness and therefore needed a few turns to get up into the action.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fzhx-RuZpzw/UGtGFKUS9RI/AAAAAAAAAmo/ufybqG8ep6c/s1600/D7K_2379.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fzhx-RuZpzw/UGtGFKUS9RI/AAAAAAAAAmo/ufybqG8ep6c/s400/D7K_2379.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The two large units of ZANLA on the Rhodesian right flank were able to seriously wound or kill two of the remaining three farmers as well as inflict a casualty on the only one which remained.&nbsp; They quickly moved into the house and happened to take the farmer as a POW.&nbsp; <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5jdaOuRhF1o/UGtGHFvuRyI/AAAAAAAAAmw/Fb0hYtPoJ3w/s1600/D7K_2380.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5jdaOuRhF1o/UGtGHFvuRyI/AAAAAAAAAmw/Fb0hYtPoJ3w/s400/D7K_2380.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The police force moved into the compound, but found there to be overwhelming firepower coming from the house as well as the other mostly intact squad in the open area nearby.&nbsp; Although several casualties were inflicted by both sides at this point, most of them turned out to be light wounds.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pd7Rcs0Bx2U/UGtGJCs-DOI/AAAAAAAAAm4/6DH50Aa1QFA/s1600/D7K_2381.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pd7Rcs0Bx2U/UGtGJCs-DOI/AAAAAAAAAm4/6DH50Aa1QFA/s400/D7K_2381.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Eventually the police section got pinned and all four members went down.&nbsp; As the ZANLA prepared to rush forward and kill or take prisoner any that survived, the guard force made their reaction test and rushed forward intercepting the movement and inflicting a casualty on the advancing ZANLA unit.&nbsp; <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-228Dq_o-iPc/UGtGLUa39iI/AAAAAAAAAnA/uBCGodoC9_0/s1600/D7K_2382.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="330" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-228Dq_o-iPc/UGtGLUa39iI/AAAAAAAAAnA/uBCGodoC9_0/s400/D7K_2382.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>With the guard force in close proximity, the police section was able to test for first aid rather than wallow on the ground waiting for someone to help them.&nbsp; Unfortunately, the concentrated fire of the ZANLA units occupying the house was able to seriously wound most of the remaining Rhodesian forces leaving only two guard force and two police section left standing.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aCzSueBceKU/UGtGN4wB5QI/AAAAAAAAAnI/_9WtmmIykAc/s1600/D7K_2383.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aCzSueBceKU/UGtGN4wB5QI/AAAAAAAAAnI/_9WtmmIykAc/s400/D7K_2383.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The Rhodesian survivors decided to make a hasty retreat through their very own gates.&nbsp; The ZANLA troops from within the house followed with hostage in tow.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RS7FBy9yL4E/UGtGQE54xJI/AAAAAAAAAnQ/Af0nOIqMSCo/s1600/D7K_2384.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RS7FBy9yL4E/UGtGQE54xJI/AAAAAAAAAnQ/Af0nOIqMSCo/s400/D7K_2384.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>After a couple successful spots and rounds of fire, the Rhodesian survivors were taken down to two.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uGiDlSLPZ3Q/UGtGSEdmW7I/AAAAAAAAAnY/Lk2_cQJPszQ/s1600/D7K_2385.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uGiDlSLPZ3Q/UGtGSEdmW7I/AAAAAAAAAnY/Lk2_cQJPszQ/s400/D7K_2385.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Stuck in place due to serious wounds, the ZANLA caught up to within close range and finished off both survivors.<br /><br />Through most of the game it felt like the Rhodesians had their work cut out for them, but with a good set of rolls could get them on top at any time.&nbsp; Those rolls never came and the ZANLA enjoyed a landslide victory.&nbsp; Although I perhaps tweaked the scenario a bit too much, this game appeared to be much more enjoyable by all involved.&nbsp; Next time I'll probably leave the police section as-is and add back in the 2D cover for the house.&nbsp; The only tweaks would then be adding two more to each squad plus another random support weapon or two.&nbsp; <br /><br />Overall I found this to be an excellent scenario other than the need to tweak the ZANLA unit size.&nbsp; It was a lot of fun to make the terrain pieces and see them in use.<br /><br />Has anyone else ran/played this scenario as-written?&nbsp; If so, please comment below on your experiences with it and if any tactics have been found to give the ZANLA a chance of coming close to winning.<br /><br /><br />Ryan Skowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01005219749335015663noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3370385557047658097.post-750774914689014652012-09-30T22:34:00.001-05:002012-10-03T12:57:04.039-05:00TAG African Modern Militia 28mm FiguresI found <a href="http://www.theassaultgroup.co.uk/store/home.php?cat=45">The Assault Group's Modern Militia 28mm Figures</a> to be an excellent fit for <a href="http://ambushalleygames.com/">Ambush Alley's</a> "Down on the Farm"&nbsp; scenario from the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1849087695/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1849087695&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=miniature0b-20">Bush Wars</a><img alt="" border="0" class="iovzzgvtyyksscafdujn lowsuknlgcuxlsckwido" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=miniature0b-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=1849087695" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> Force on Force expansion.&nbsp; They are properly armed according to what the scenario has laid out and fit well with the figures I have from <a href="http://eurekamin.com.au/index.php?cPath=87_126_150&amp;sort=3a&amp;page=2">Eureka</a> that will be used along side these.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--wPT7ocbaDE/UGkNZN0P5PI/AAAAAAAAAjA/iCZlfU_CR3g/s1600/D7K_2337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--wPT7ocbaDE/UGkNZN0P5PI/AAAAAAAAAjA/iCZlfU_CR3g/s640/D7K_2337.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rhodesian Guard Force - armed with Lee Enfield rifles - front</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cNs5zuejhdA/UGkNZotMagI/AAAAAAAAAjI/aiKEzTwSK7I/s1600/D7K_2338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cNs5zuejhdA/UGkNZotMagI/AAAAAAAAAjI/aiKEzTwSK7I/s640/D7K_2338.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rhodesian Guard Force - armed with Lee Enfield rifles - back</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sqUSZZM_ElU/UGkNavet_rI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/5G5sfbyr8jc/s1600/D7K_2339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sqUSZZM_ElU/UGkNavet_rI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/5G5sfbyr8jc/s640/D7K_2339.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rhodesian Civilian Farmers - armed with shotguns - front</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9neptUKiwJU/UGkNbJMzzPI/AAAAAAAAAjY/bXeYPb1c7-U/s1600/D7K_2341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9neptUKiwJU/UGkNbJMzzPI/AAAAAAAAAjY/bXeYPb1c7-U/s640/D7K_2341.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Farmers - armed with shotguns - back</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The pose of the guy on the left is really neat - looks like he is getting ready to look from around a corner or peek out a window.<br /><br />I'm really pleased with these sculpts and will definitely keep TAG in mind in the future.Ryan Skowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01005219749335015663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3370385557047658097.post-67049469562430597432012-09-24T00:03:00.000-05:002012-09-24T09:44:03.350-05:00Fields of Honor Rhodesian Test Board LayoutLots of photos to share in this update.&nbsp; Most everything is done for the convention and the photos below show the tentative board layout planned for <a href="http://fields-of-honor.org/">Fields of Honor</a> coming up this weekend.&nbsp; There are actually two more boards planned that would fill in the driveway to take place of the two regular landscape boards that I'll be using instead.&nbsp; The additional road boards were cut from the plan partially due to time constraints and mostly due to the worn thin patience of my wife.&nbsp; I guess I don't blame her since I've pretty much been working on building terrain non-stop every evening for the past couple months.&nbsp; Anyway, what has been built turned out pretty decent and hopefully it will be fun to play on.&nbsp; Enough preamble, here are the photos.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zveNaKNfNJw/UGBjFvp8pUI/AAAAAAAAAh8/BmcGJ3ghlBQ/s1600/D7K_2272.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="440" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zveNaKNfNJw/UGBjFvp8pUI/AAAAAAAAAh8/BmcGJ3ghlBQ/s640/D7K_2272.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overview of the farm compound</td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vRCti-kWt0s/UGBi1c9XSxI/AAAAAAAAAgs/bdWHI3z4atQ/s1600/D7K_2262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="514" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vRCti-kWt0s/UGBi1c9XSxI/AAAAAAAAAgs/bdWHI3z4atQ/s640/D7K_2262.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overview of the board layout</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tWcI9qmloOw/UGBi3VE6rRI/AAAAAAAAAg8/LAFYnEueWyY/s1600/D7K_2264.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="370" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tWcI9qmloOw/UGBi3VE6rRI/AAAAAAAAAg8/LAFYnEueWyY/s640/D7K_2264.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from between the storage buildings to the house</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BVdWg2qEImg/UGBi5do1eqI/AAAAAAAAAhE/H17N7HXCbFE/s1600/D7K_2265.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BVdWg2qEImg/UGBi5do1eqI/AAAAAAAAAhE/H17N7HXCbFE/s640/D7K_2265.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Night shot.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_GiCZtzlzG0/UGBi7Z0sjBI/AAAAAAAAAhM/gOhl67I3jq8/s1600/D7K_2266.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_GiCZtzlzG0/UGBi7Z0sjBI/AAAAAAAAAhM/gOhl67I3jq8/s640/D7K_2266.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the chain link fence.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A7LEhy6LYWI/UGBi9C1vfqI/AAAAAAAAAhU/EeGw8C8ZXy0/s1600/D7K_2267.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A7LEhy6LYWI/UGBi9C1vfqI/AAAAAAAAAhU/EeGw8C8ZXy0/s640/D7K_2267.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Storage building attached to office/machine shed</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P8xakey4r9o/UGBjAcVjMSI/AAAAAAAAAhk/hRFdjHhcv8k/s1600/D7K_2269.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P8xakey4r9o/UGBjAcVjMSI/AAAAAAAAAhk/hRFdjHhcv8k/s640/D7K_2269.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Side of the carport</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uSIJ2hPhTG8/UGBjDY8j21I/AAAAAAAAAh0/Q3EbPEACSl4/s1600/D7K_2271.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="458" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uSIJ2hPhTG8/UGBjDY8j21I/AAAAAAAAAh0/Q3EbPEACSl4/s640/D7K_2271.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front of the house through the barb wire topped chain link fence</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AoLglUOrnAw/UGBjHq8NDsI/AAAAAAAAAiE/JUOAOBaLqWw/s1600/D7K_2273.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AoLglUOrnAw/UGBjHq8NDsI/AAAAAAAAAiE/JUOAOBaLqWw/s640/D7K_2273.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front gates</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1ciWzMdzgVE/UGBjJkFopVI/AAAAAAAAAiM/MbaMKohQGkY/s1600/D7K_2274.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1ciWzMdzgVE/UGBjJkFopVI/AAAAAAAAAiM/MbaMKohQGkY/s640/D7K_2274.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Side door</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5msea-dOfso/UGBjLVF3Q6I/AAAAAAAAAiU/atLqQN8gWR4/s1600/D7K_2275.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5msea-dOfso/UGBjLVF3Q6I/AAAAAAAAAiU/atLqQN8gWR4/s640/D7K_2275.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Storage buildings</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GuuRQlHL71c/UGBjOL6C6EI/AAAAAAAAAic/fjyhiAkCeRU/s1600/D7K_2280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="584" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GuuRQlHL71c/UGBjOL6C6EI/AAAAAAAAAic/fjyhiAkCeRU/s640/D7K_2280.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back of one of the storage buildings next to a burn pit</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AEcoRuqFuiQ/UGBjPeIT7SI/AAAAAAAAAik/SYShHot0-dw/s1600/D7K_2281.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AEcoRuqFuiQ/UGBjPeIT7SI/AAAAAAAAAik/SYShHot0-dw/s640/D7K_2281.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Approaching the compound from the front gates</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />The 28mm miniatures to be used for the planned scenario have also been painted and just await their final seal.&nbsp; I'll try to get them photographed and posted sometime soon.<br /><br />Additional photos with outdoor natural lighting will be added when I get the chance as well.&nbsp; The better lighting will be good to show the details of the individual pieces.&nbsp;<br /><br />Ryan Skowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01005219749335015663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3370385557047658097.post-57664952392265646692012-09-17T11:56:00.001-05:002012-09-17T13:52:44.310-05:00Storage Buildings - WIPYet another side-track project has been lurking along with the other projects.&nbsp; These storage buildings were actually the first of this brick-pressing method that I cast.&nbsp; They have been a hidden prototype that I've been worked on in parallel to the other projects.&nbsp; I just haven't been taking any pictures of them.<br /><br />The roof sections were actually the last pieces to be made as they were something I had done before and was already comfortable with working the tin.&nbsp; The walls of the buildings still need some additional weathering, but otherwise are fairly complete.&nbsp; Below is the first (and only at this point) photo of the framed up roofs.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2TNXxz0905E/UFdEXFTgmOI/AAAAAAAAAgI/9GxUV6zyejg/s1600/D7K_2217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2TNXxz0905E/UFdEXFTgmOI/AAAAAAAAAgI/9GxUV6zyejg/s640/D7K_2217.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />As with the other buildings I've been making lately, this one is also based off of an actual structure over in Africa.&nbsp; Unfortunately, the owner of the photo I had in mind requires a license fee to show the photo directly.&nbsp; His work is definitely deserving of pay - it just doesn't work in my hobby budget.&nbsp; It is a pity as <a href="http://www.robinhammond.co.uk/">Robin Hammond</a> has some really spectacular photos and it would have been nice to show his work inline with this post.&nbsp; Hopefully this <a href="http://media.economist.com/images/images-magazine/2011/04/23/ob/20110423_obp001.jpg" rel="nofollow">remote link to the photo</a> doesn't suddenly break as these things tend to do on the internet...&nbsp; Anyway, the photo is from the recent and ongoing struggle between the farmers in Zimbabwe and their government. <br /><br />Some progress was made on the farmhouse, carport, and fence sections over the weekend as well, but I didn't manage to take any photos.&nbsp; Lots of things are coming together, but there are also still lots of details to finish up before the convention in less than two weeks.<br /><br />Ryan Skowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01005219749335015663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3370385557047658097.post-61375073396914962442012-09-10T00:22:00.000-05:002012-09-17T12:14:01.557-05:00Farmhouse Project WIP - Update 11 - Painting and Mortar<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GGkhrUQRGwc/UE37Ma8uOtI/AAAAAAAAAfA/lvMjAa9p0bk/s1600/D7K_2208.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gq5771vkNnY/UE37OhXSKII/AAAAAAAAAfI/3GPg6B2ERFc/s1600/D7K_2209.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gq5771vkNnY/UE37OhXSKII/AAAAAAAAAfI/3GPg6B2ERFc/s1600/D7K_2209.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />Lots of photos for this update.&nbsp; Painting is pretty much complete.&nbsp; As with the car port, I mixed the Slate and Titanium White <a href="http://earthpigments.com/">Earth Pigments</a> (2-3 parts slate to 1 part white) to be used as the mortar.&nbsp; A little variation in the mortar color probably isn't a bad thing so I didn't used a measuring spoon to get an exact measure.&nbsp; Given the inexact method of mixing mortar on the ground and measuring things 'by the wheelbarrow full' as we did in Zambia, my approximations here are on par.&nbsp; I did, however, mix a big enough batch to at least finish the house so the color will be consistent on this project.&nbsp; It turns out this mix was a little too white so I ended up giving the house a dusting of Natural Umber (not pictured) to tone down the white a bit.&nbsp; <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AQBaECFw-4M/UE37AD2X5nI/AAAAAAAAAeA/NoxRFNSjoew/s1600/D7K_2199.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="328" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AQBaECFw-4M/UE37AD2X5nI/AAAAAAAAAeA/NoxRFNSjoew/s1600/D7K_2199.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Here are a few shots of the house pre-mortar: <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2aP5HRoWZPE/UE37BohU4AI/AAAAAAAAAeI/zGEkvDaWltA/s1600/D7K_2201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="369" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2aP5HRoWZPE/UE37BohU4AI/AAAAAAAAAeI/zGEkvDaWltA/s1600/D7K_2201.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F5CYoPSYA2M/UE37DADleLI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/Z1HAAV5oigQ/s1600/D7K_2202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F5CYoPSYA2M/UE37DADleLI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/Z1HAAV5oigQ/s1600/D7K_2202.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h5HzB-2dRRs/UE37EVLhABI/AAAAAAAAAeY/_elXxe1G-I0/s1600/D7K_2203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="332" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h5HzB-2dRRs/UE37EVLhABI/AAAAAAAAAeY/_elXxe1G-I0/s640/D7K_2203.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Here things are post-mortar: <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fFh6TbX5_Ek/UE37F6l0oBI/AAAAAAAAAeg/ALN6GZh2vMY/s1600/D7K_2204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="338" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fFh6TbX5_Ek/UE37F6l0oBI/AAAAAAAAAeg/ALN6GZh2vMY/s1600/D7K_2204.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yldJL9siYR4/UE37JiQB5GI/AAAAAAAAAew/OR-Y8bR7ocM/s1600/D7K_2206.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yldJL9siYR4/UE37JiQB5GI/AAAAAAAAAew/OR-Y8bR7ocM/s1600/D7K_2206.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PQ0NYvymRE0/UE37ILazy0I/AAAAAAAAAeo/Sw1QrFmQHEQ/s1600/D7K_2205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PQ0NYvymRE0/UE37ILazy0I/AAAAAAAAAeo/Sw1QrFmQHEQ/s1600/D7K_2205.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>The 'glass' for the windows was installed as well.&nbsp; I did end up just using transparency sheet (which can be purchased from the FedEx Office shops by the sheet) and cutting it to the right size to cover the entire window frame.&nbsp; Cutting individual panes would be a pain so I opted for this shortcut to save what is left of my sanity. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yldJL9siYR4/UE37JiQB5GI/AAAAAAAAAew/OR-Y8bR7ocM/s1600/D7K_2206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>Here is a series of photos with the windows and doors sitting in the holes.&nbsp; They aren't glued yet because the house still needs a final coat of Liquitex Matte Varnish.<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GGkhrUQRGwc/UE37Ma8uOtI/AAAAAAAAAfA/lvMjAa9p0bk/s1600/D7K_2208.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="334" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GGkhrUQRGwc/UE37Ma8uOtI/AAAAAAAAAfA/lvMjAa9p0bk/s1600/D7K_2208.jpg" width="640" /></a> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RtPoV7hmvTQ/UE37K-LLkzI/AAAAAAAAAe4/Yx_ZfPBsoa4/s1600/D7K_2207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RtPoV7hmvTQ/UE37K-LLkzI/AAAAAAAAAe4/Yx_ZfPBsoa4/s1600/D7K_2207.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CUX2XhUACq8/UE37QarogAI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/22PkekcFwPk/s1600/D7K_2210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="330" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CUX2XhUACq8/UE37QarogAI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/22PkekcFwPk/s1600/D7K_2210.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qom6nsGhPJY/UE37RycOP6I/AAAAAAAAAfY/Uv10A6KRBt0/s1600/D7K_2211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="332" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qom6nsGhPJY/UE37RycOP6I/AAAAAAAAAfY/Uv10A6KRBt0/s1600/D7K_2211.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Brqw2eqWM4M/UE37TJXKoKI/AAAAAAAAAfg/kXNisOKxtjA/s1600/D7K_2212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Brqw2eqWM4M/UE37TJXKoKI/AAAAAAAAAfg/kXNisOKxtjA/s1600/D7K_2212.jpg" width="510" /></a></div>The doors still need handles, but otherwise are ready for installation.<br /><br />By the way, there is a such thing as too much gloss varnish when applying it to make the removal of excess weathering powder.&nbsp; I got carried away with it on the house even after practicing which made it difficult in places to get any mortar at all to stick.&nbsp; Overall I think it turned out, but it took way too long to get it to this stage (compared to the car port which was fairly quick &amp; easy). <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b-P16-rGuGQ/UE37UWgO25I/AAAAAAAAAfo/sPQUtshEfg4/s1600/D7K_2213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="536" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b-P16-rGuGQ/UE37UWgO25I/AAAAAAAAAfo/sPQUtshEfg4/s1600/D7K_2213.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Looking back at the photos above, I can hardly tell there is 'glass' in the panes.&nbsp; That is probably due to the abysmal lighting in the basement where the workshop is.&nbsp; In better lighting there should be some glare and/or reflection.&nbsp; This should be especially the case when the roof is put on making it dark inside the building. <br /><br />The covers that go above some of the windows still need to be worked on and the windows/doors need to be glued in place - some of which may need a little filler to take care of some small gaps.&nbsp; The base needs a little flock and I'd really like to add the Rhodesian Boiler, but it will have to go in the 'details if there is time' list.&nbsp; There are still several fence boards, a board of three storage buildings, and hopefully a driveway board to work on.&nbsp; Bits of all of them have been started, but there is still a lot left to do on them in the next three weeks...<br /><br />Ryan Skowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01005219749335015663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3370385557047658097.post-71711779443523277732012-09-10T00:11:00.000-05:002012-09-10T09:35:21.161-05:00Farmhouse Car Port - WIP Update 1The car port is shaping up nicely.&nbsp; Tin for the roof has been attached, the base is painted, and a little weathering &amp; detail work is getting there. <br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dhCp2m7gwCg/UE31k5B2UQI/AAAAAAAAAdM/i3NGVxi1O_Q/s1600/D7K_2214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dhCp2m7gwCg/UE31k5B2UQI/AAAAAAAAAdM/i3NGVxi1O_Q/s1600/D7K_2214.jpg" height="243" width="400" /></a> The door and window still need a final coat of paint and weathering. Glass for the window is cut, but can't be installed until after the frame is completely painted. <br /><br />I'm not sure how it happened, but the back corner of the roof warped a little bit which is a little annoying, but is what is for now...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NXRRKSVyxbI/UE31m__MCpI/AAAAAAAAAdU/CP_3c1kLrd0/s1600/D7K_2215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NXRRKSVyxbI/UE31m__MCpI/AAAAAAAAAdU/CP_3c1kLrd0/s1600/D7K_2215.jpg" height="220" width="400" /></a></div>The roof still needs to be painted and, as I mentioned in a previous post, it will serve as the testing grounds before doing the roof of the house.<br /><br />Some additional weathering on the walls to tone down the white a few notches may be helpful.&nbsp; I'll wait until I take it out of the dark basement and into some better light before going down that path though.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ap65E_yAI-E/UE31o64Z8tI/AAAAAAAAAdc/8q1Yc6w3taA/s1600/D7K_2216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ap65E_yAI-E/UE31o64Z8tI/AAAAAAAAAdc/8q1Yc6w3taA/s1600/D7K_2216.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />The base still needs some grass and maybe some bushes.&nbsp; Also, the reference photo shows some junk laying on the side of the building.&nbsp; I'll probably try to add that as well, but will hold off until some of the other more required to-do items are complete.&nbsp; Countdown to <a href="http://fields-of-honor.org/">Fields of Honor, Fall 2012</a> (September 28-30th) is getting a little tight for comfort and some details may go unfinished before I'm running a game at Fields.Ryan Skowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01005219749335015663noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3370385557047658097.post-75189908669618930662012-09-05T23:05:00.000-05:002012-09-17T11:29:27.038-05:00Farmhouse Car Port - WIPAgain, I've been sidetracked on a different, yet related, project.&nbsp; I decided to build the car port seen in another photo of the area around the house.&nbsp; The garage is serving as a great prototype to test out the new brick painting technique on a little larger scale than the small test pieces used previously.&nbsp; My theory that a smooth gloss seal vs the more rough Testor's Dullcote will make it easier to apply the grout and reduce the chalk look turned out to be true.<br /><br />First, here is the reference photo:<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CqbmNboZNO0/UEi0mXJ0ZEI/AAAAAAAAAbw/NEfvZKxzVNE/s1600/MAZHouse+Car(BH5311)Port.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CqbmNboZNO0/UEi0mXJ0ZEI/AAAAAAAAAbw/NEfvZKxzVNE/s1600/MAZHouse+Car(BH5311)Port.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from http://www.nrzam.org.uk/BobEglinton/BobLHS.htm</td></tr></tbody></table><br />It would be great to find a 1/48th-1/60th scale model of the pictured vehicle, but I'm not sure what model it is nor am I aware of anyone who would make such a thing.&nbsp; If anyone is aware of how to get one, please comment below.<br /><br />Here are some photos of the building after the weathering powder had dried.&nbsp; Once the ground gets a little color, I think the building will look pretty nice.<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vO_uQtzrsmo/UEi1R3u3suI/AAAAAAAAAcA/GX-Qeo6aoPg/s1600/GarageFront.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vO_uQtzrsmo/UEi1R3u3suI/AAAAAAAAAcA/GX-Qeo6aoPg/s640/GarageFront.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front</td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g4SQe6C_2Es/UEi1QZdYfDI/AAAAAAAAAb4/CmwuIdWyOrQ/s1600/GarageBack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g4SQe6C_2Es/UEi1QZdYfDI/AAAAAAAAAb4/CmwuIdWyOrQ/s640/GarageBack.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sgVChFt0lrY/UEi1S32lQJI/AAAAAAAAAcI/NKjsDb6Nb50/s1600/GarageLeft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="458" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sgVChFt0lrY/UEi1S32lQJI/AAAAAAAAAcI/NKjsDb6Nb50/s640/GarageLeft.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left Side</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L8Vc_184-SY/UEi1UXV7GDI/AAAAAAAAAcQ/zRZMtIWW_p0/s1600/GarageRight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="390" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L8Vc_184-SY/UEi1UXV7GDI/AAAAAAAAAcQ/zRZMtIWW_p0/s640/GarageRight.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right Side</td></tr></tbody></table>The walls are not completely done yet.&nbsp; As seen in the reference photo, there is a reddish stain along the bottom parts of the walls due to the rain falling on the Zambian soil.&nbsp; I'll try to replicate that with some Terra Cotta weathering pigment.&nbsp; I then plan to seal everything with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KNPLTM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=B000KNPLTM&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=miniature0b-20">Liquitex Matte Varnish</a><img alt="" border="0" class="uyndrwnmnmjeizmjszrg lowsuknlgcuxlsckwido" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=miniature0b-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=B000KNPLTM" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> applied with an airbrush.&nbsp; I've read that using Testor's Dullcote or many other varnishes has significant negative effects on the pigments.&nbsp; Ounce per ounce, the Liquitex product will be less expensive than the Testor's anyway.<br /><br />Here is how I colored the walls:<br /><br /><ol><li>Base coat the walls with Delta Ceramcoat Sandstone. </li><li>Using a foam brush, gently brush on streaks and/or areas of Golden Brown, Burnt Sienna, and Dark Cherry.&nbsp; Note that the foam brush is used sort of as a drybrush with most of the paint wiped off on a paper towel before applying to the wall.</li><li>Using a small brush (about as wide as a brick is), paint a few random bricks with white, Burnt Umber, and any of the other colors already used.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Wash the entire wall with a Sepia wash.&nbsp; I mix my own using <a href="http://www.awesomepaintjob.com/index.cfm/resources.recipes">Les' Wash Recipe</a> over at AwesomePaintJob.com. </li><li>Seal with a clear gloss varnish from a spray can after the paint has had sufficient time to dry (I let it wait overnight before sealing).</li><li>Wait for the varnish to dry (probably overnight again) and apply pigment with a dry brush liberally to the first wall face. The wall will need to be lying in a horizontal position so the pigment doesn't just fall off.</li><li>Rub the pigment into the recessed grout lines with a finger.&nbsp; There will be some residual pigment on the brick faces which we'll take care of later.&nbsp; The pigments I use are non-toxic so I just use my bare finger - use gloves if you are using something that is toxic...</li><li>Apply rubbing alcohol with a different brush by dipping the brush in the alcohol and then just barely touching the face of one of a brick and letting the fluid wick into the recesses.</li><li>Give the alcohol a minute to start to set up and then go back with a slightly damp paper towel and gently rub the brick faces to remove excess pigment.&nbsp; You will need to keep using new areas of the towel to avoid smearing pigment all over.&nbsp; This part can get a big messy, but worked better than I expected. </li><li>Move on to the next wall and repeat steps 6-9.&nbsp; </li></ol>The pigments I'm using are from <a href="http://www.earthpigments.com/">Earth Pigments</a> by the way.&nbsp; The grout is their 'Slate' mixed with some Titanium White.<br /><br />Below is the balsa roof frame all ready to have tin applied.&nbsp; The balsa is glued together with Loctite Super Glue Gel which works great for this type of application. Next I'll put the tin on the roof and then continue to use it as a painting prototype to learn from.<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-faZWfdq4RUk/UEi1WB8nnqI/AAAAAAAAAcY/m0mAQV7S7DU/s1600/GarageRoof.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="580" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-faZWfdq4RUk/UEi1WB8nnqI/AAAAAAAAAcY/m0mAQV7S7DU/s640/GarageRoof.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roof Frame</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4Rb-KYfb40c/UEi_E5RwhgI/AAAAAAAAAcw/ihaqFVV6fkI/s1600/SmallTower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4Rb-KYfb40c/UEi_E5RwhgI/AAAAAAAAAcw/ihaqFVV6fkI/s320/SmallTower.jpg" width="211" /></a>Progress on these projects has been a bit non-existant in the last couple weeks due to me being out of the country on a mission trip.&nbsp; Purely by coincidence, I happened to be in Zambia not more than 30km away from the house pictured in the photos.&nbsp; I wasn't able to get to see it (or what is left of it), but being able to see some of the landscape, buildings, and the people was a real blessing.&nbsp; The physical reason for me being over there was to build a pump house and water tower with the help of the people of a local village.&nbsp; Strangely enough, some of my model making experience was actually useful in helping lay the blocks for the real pump house.&nbsp; To the right is a photo that I took of my brother and one of the guys from the village in front of the tower we built.&nbsp; We didn't know what exactly we would be doing before we got there and the tower went from design to as-pictured in about 8 days.&nbsp; It was quite a challenge given the material and tool shortages we had.&nbsp; From end to end it was a great experience and I hope this source of clean water will bless the village for a long time to come.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Ryan Skowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01005219749335015663noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3370385557047658097.post-34819290867757679582012-08-14T22:50:00.001-05:002012-09-20T08:45:05.713-05:00Chain Link Fence - WIP<br />I got sidetracked from the farm house project to work on another related project.&nbsp; For the 'On the Farm' Force on Force scenario I'm planning to run at <a href="http://fields-of-honor.org/">Fields of Honor</a> (September 28-30th 2012) there is a fence included on the map.&nbsp; There are lots of examples out on the web with various levels of success in creating realistic looking fencing in 28mm scale.&nbsp; I tried using piano wire to simulate the metal frame, but the wire was difficult to cut and refused to be exactly straight.&nbsp; It was also miserable to try to get to stay square while trying to assemble it.&nbsp; After various trials and errors, I came across Dennis Brennan's <a href="http://www.brennansmodelrr.com/store/index.php?categoryid=119&amp;productid=6">chain link fence product</a>.&nbsp; It was the most realistic I had come across.&nbsp; I ordered the kit and was quite impressed with Dennis' customer service and prompt shipping.&nbsp; I ordered on Friday and it showed up on Monday.<br /><br />The only negative was the lack of information on shipping.&nbsp; The cart showed $0 for shipping/handling and I was charged a little over $5.&nbsp; It wasn't any more than it cost him to ship, but the lack of shipping costs on the web site should probably be addressed.&nbsp; Again, Dennis' great customer service came into play and he said it would indeed be added as soon as he could.<br /><br />Below is a photo of a completed 6" length of fence which is 2" high.&nbsp; On top of each of the metal posts is a piece of angled polystyrene which will eventually hold a couple strands of barbed wire.&nbsp; The polystyrene is not included in the kit and is something custom I added on.&nbsp; I'm still not sure how exactly to do the barbed wire, but I do have a couple ides.&nbsp; Any thoughts on exactly what to use for the barbed wire would be appreciated...<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TuchtWuBbhU/UCsX_zGk0xI/AAAAAAAAAbQ/gz30v9VS55o/s1600/DSC_8706.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TuchtWuBbhU/UCsX_zGk0xI/AAAAAAAAAbQ/gz30v9VS55o/s640/DSC_8706.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />I won't go into too much detail related to the contents of the kit, but I ended up not using the fabric intended to simulate the chain-link.&nbsp; The fabric included in the kit has larger diamonds and is better suited to the O-scale train (1/48th) than the 28mm (1/60) I needed it for.&nbsp; In 1/60th scale, the holes represented by the kit fabric is about 5" which is a bit large...&nbsp; As part of my previous trials, I had picked up some <a href="http://www.amazon.com/mn/search/?_encoding=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;field-keywords=tulle%20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;tag=miniature0b-20&amp;url=search-alias%3Daps" target="_blank">tulle</a><img alt="" border="0" class="tggpwjjsbxophglkkgop lowsuknlgcuxlsckwido" height="1" src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=miniature0b-20&amp;l=ur2&amp;o=1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> (used in wedding veils, dresses, etc).&nbsp; The fine diamond shaped threading looked to be a good approximation of chain-link, but without a frame to hang it on, I was kind of stuck.&nbsp; The kit fabric is a bit stiffer than the tulle which would be nice when attaching it to the frame, but I opted for the tulle just due to the scale difference.&nbsp; The real value of the kit (to me at least) is in the instructions and the jig.&nbsp; Out of respect for Dennis, I'll leave it at that with regards to details on how it exactly works.&nbsp; All I will say is that it is fairly simple, yet ingenious.&nbsp; It keeps things lined up and makes it a lot easier to assemble the frame.<br /><br /><br />The nearly completed section seen in the photos is one of two pieces that will form a corner on a 12"x12" board.&nbsp; The right side of the fence will be at the edge of the board and is assumed to continue on into the next board.&nbsp; The left side is the corner of the fence and a similar piece will be placed at a 90 degree angle.&nbsp; I'll also be making a couple 24" straight pieces as well as a 24" section with a gate.&nbsp; The kit includes the makings for working gates which is pretty neat.&nbsp; This feature is another reason to fix the rest of the gates into place just to prevent something from breaking, but it may still work in a removable fashion.<br /><br />Below is a photo with a 28mm Rhodesian Light Infantry trooper from <a href="http://eurekamin.com.au/">Eureka</a> (here is the <a href="http://www.eurekaminusa.com/">USA version</a> of the site).&nbsp; From what I have read, fences such as these were built around the immediate area of the farmstead during the years of the Bush War as well as after.&nbsp; Apparently they help by prematurely detonating or catching RPG rounds within the mesh.&nbsp; The fence also hinders rushing attempts from those attacking.&nbsp; <br /><br />You may need to click on the image to see the full sized version to see the chain-link detail. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AjWZ16ZZUhc/UCsYHDPmFnI/AAAAAAAAAbY/2xR4q0QBncI/s1600/DSC_8707.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AjWZ16ZZUhc/UCsYHDPmFnI/AAAAAAAAAbY/2xR4q0QBncI/s640/DSC_8707.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />There is another inch of metal post sticking down into the foam holding the fence in place.&nbsp; I hope to be able to make each fence section removable, yet still maintain the seamless look.&nbsp; That may not be possible and they may have to just be permanently fixed to the boards...which means more of a storage issue since each board will need its own box.&nbsp; Different problem for a different day.<br /><br />The soldered connections of the fence posts and supports is reasonably strong, but I'm not sure how well it will stand up to being removed from the board and handled when being deployed and stored.&nbsp; If any of the joints break they will be difficult to repair by soldering since they are already painted.&nbsp; It may have been best to just use styrene rods of various thickness for the frame rather than the metal versions, but styrene may not be rigid enough to give the netting enough support to keep it flat.&nbsp; Perhaps another trial for another day...<br /><br />It was kind of fun putting the fence together.&nbsp; It does, however, take a lot of patience and it wasn't inexpensive especially since I didn't already have a decent soldering gun.<br /><br />EDIT(9/20/2012): The day for testing out the styrene option came and went.&nbsp; In short, it works great.&nbsp; Much easier than soldering.&nbsp; The <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006N6ODS/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=B0006N6ODS&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=miniature0b-20">Testor's Liquid Cement</a><img alt="" border="0" class="lowsuknlgcuxlsckwido" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=miniature0b-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=B0006N6ODS" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> I'm using takes a little while to form a strong bond, but other than the additional wait time, using styrene is much better than using metal.&nbsp; Another great feature of the styrene is that the frame is much more flexible and will resist breaking unlike the rigid metal frame.&nbsp; The metal would be great for a static train display that won't be handled, but for gaming terrain, a little more flexibility (and ease of repair) would be nice.&nbsp; The styrene is plenty rigid, however, to hold the fabric in place.&nbsp; I'll post some photos of the completed fences yet this week I hope.Ryan Skowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01005219749335015663noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3370385557047658097.post-77889882577696625412012-08-06T22:55:00.000-05:002012-08-06T22:55:53.496-05:00Farmhouse Project WIP - Update 10 - Roof Tin Part 2The roof is mostly constructed and is just in need of some tin to cover the roof joints which will make it look a little less rough. After that the tin will be painted using the hairspray weathering technique to give what ever I use as the primary color a pealing look to show the metal underneath.&nbsp; <br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B_ZuvomW76A/UCCN5R44r4I/AAAAAAAAAa4/o4KGs5k0H-o/s1600/D7K_1221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="462" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B_ZuvomW76A/UCCN5R44r4I/AAAAAAAAAa4/o4KGs5k0H-o/s640/D7K_1221.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front</td></tr></tbody></table><br />As-is, the brick is base-coated with Sandstone (from Delta) and the first couple layers of ground cover have been added.&nbsp; I'll still be painting up some additional test chunks to work out the kinks in my brick painting technique before moving forward with the house itself.&nbsp;<br /><br />By the way, the chimney is just stuck into the roof hole and not yet properly aligned.&nbsp; It is kind of sticking out at an odd angle which will go away when it actually gets glued into place.&nbsp; The little peak in the photo below will have a finishing façade to make it look a little more like the original.&nbsp; <br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M6h5NBJsLzE/UCCN4egYpII/AAAAAAAAAaw/7H_6-P0f2vE/s1600/D7K_1220.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="554" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M6h5NBJsLzE/UCCN4egYpII/AAAAAAAAAaw/7H_6-P0f2vE/s640/D7K_1220.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Each of the window frames has also been base coated and will get the hairspray method to give it a weathered look.&nbsp; It is probably overkill to weather such small details using this method, but I'd like the practice. I'm still waffling back and forth between resin and the transparency sheet for the window glass...&nbsp; I still need to actually get some transparency and try it out to see how it looks, but there is still plenty of time to figure that out. <br /><br />The lighting isn't great in the photos as they are just some quick snaps, but at this point in the project it really does look rather bland.&nbsp; Simply getting the window frames put in place will make the whole structure a lot more appealing, but that won't happen until everything is painted.Ryan Skowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01005219749335015663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3370385557047658097.post-86661909873787749922012-07-29T23:46:00.000-05:002012-07-30T10:48:30.499-05:00Farmhouse Project WIP - Update 9 - Roof TinTinning the roof has begun.&nbsp; Below are some of the tools I'm using for the job:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lrKxx7jkXNo/UBYFpFvbz7I/AAAAAAAAAZw/RDVJ6cW6jp4/s1600/D7K_1202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="432" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lrKxx7jkXNo/UBYFpFvbz7I/AAAAAAAAAZw/RDVJ6cW6jp4/s640/D7K_1202.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>On the top left is an orbital sander that I borrowed from a friend of mine.&nbsp; With all the use I've gotten out of it, I probably should just buy him a new one...&nbsp; I did buy a new set of sand paper so I'll at least return it to him in good condition.&nbsp; The sander is used to remove the printing on the tin and rough up the other side as well to give the glue and eventually paint something to grab on to.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mKD6AN6X4ec/UBYFqtKSdXI/AAAAAAAAAaA/_TrLJc6d8jU/s1600/D7K_1204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="294" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mKD6AN6X4ec/UBYFqtKSdXI/AAAAAAAAAaA/_TrLJc6d8jU/s320/D7K_1204.JPG" width="320" /></a>Here is the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FPU3ES/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=B000FPU3ES&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=miniature0b-20">Fiskars Paper Crimper.</a><img alt="" border="0" class="rgswqwdgwyhqqabjkjwq" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=miniature0b-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=B000FPU3ES" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> It creates the nice corrugated pattern in the tin.&nbsp; Under the crimper is the tin from the can of an Arnold Palmer drink.&nbsp; It is a favorite drink of my parent-in-laws.&nbsp; Although a little taller than a standard 12oz can of soda, both work equally as well.&nbsp; Not pictured, a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000V93YIU/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=B000V93YIU&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=miniature0b-20">Kitchen Shears</a><img alt="" border="0" class="rgswqwdgwyhqqabjkjwq" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=miniature0b-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=B000V93YIU" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> similar to the one linked, was used to cut the beverage container apart.&nbsp; Do not use the household shears for this!&nbsp; Cutting tin isn't its designed function and although it will cut dozens/hundreds of cans apart without fail, it will be significantly traumatized by the experience and will never cut the same again.&nbsp; If you do have one in the kitchen, you might consider buying a new one and swapping it out for the old one.&nbsp; The old one can then migrate to the hobby tool chest and the kitchen can take advantage of a shiny brand new one.&nbsp; Win-win for all involved. ;)<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f2OC6mMsbgU/UBYFp31HTkI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/PwIOAk6pVW4/s1600/D7K_1203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f2OC6mMsbgU/UBYFp31HTkI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/PwIOAk6pVW4/s200/D7K_1203.JPG" width="97" /></a>Moving on, the glue I use for this step is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001IY82FM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=B001IY82FM&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=miniature0b-20">Gorilla Super Glue</a>. It is less expensive per ounce than the Loctite I use for gluing the balsa together, has more working time, and forms a little better bond between the tin sheets.&nbsp; The extra working time requires the use of clamps and clothes pins to keep the pressure on the pieces long enough for the bond to form.&nbsp; I highly recommend wearing disposable gloves and a respirator when working with the Gorilla Glue.&nbsp; I happen to be somewhat allergic to the fumes so the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004Z4EB/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=B00004Z4EB&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=miniature0b-20">3M Respirator</a> I purchased allows me to work with the stuff safely.&nbsp; Getting the glue stuck to my fingers (which is inevitable when working with so much of it for so long) is extremely irritating and painful to get off so the gloves are a big help.&nbsp; Plus, the gloves help prevent getting poked and cut by the sharp edges of the tin.&nbsp; Ok, enough talk about safety equipment...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IgloaiddNLo/UBYFrJFkNoI/AAAAAAAAAaI/d2m2qu4shCk/s1600/D7K_1205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IgloaiddNLo/UBYFrJFkNoI/AAAAAAAAAaI/d2m2qu4shCk/s400/D7K_1205.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Applying the bottom row of tin.&nbsp; I've started on two sides to allow me to trade back and forth as one piece dries, I can work on the other side.&nbsp; It normally only takes 30 seconds or so for the glue to grab, but sometimes I get a little carried away and put too much glue on which takes a few minutes to set up...<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mzVUShrlZ6I/UBYFr70LvxI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/7X22ErFF010/s1600/D7K_1206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mzVUShrlZ6I/UBYFr70LvxI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/7X22ErFF010/s400/D7K_1206.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>About half of the first row is done in this photo.&nbsp; The black clamps shown in the photo are extremely helpful in working on the second and subsequent rows.&nbsp; Their long reach and point pressure makes the tin so much easier to deal with.&nbsp; Specifically, they are <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007Q35QDA/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=B007Q35QDA&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=miniature0b-20">Wolfcraft QUICK-JAW Needle Nose Spring Clamps</a>.&nbsp; I got mine from <a href="http://www.menards.com/">Menards</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Usj0WEWBd9M/UBYFso87X_I/AAAAAAAAAaU/fZ0777vaoS8/s1600/D7K_1207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Usj0WEWBd9M/UBYFso87X_I/AAAAAAAAAaU/fZ0777vaoS8/s400/D7K_1207.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Here the bottom layer of tin is complete.&nbsp; It took about two hours to go from tin can to the first layer glued down.<br /><br />The round black things on the right side of the frame are magnets.&nbsp; Another pair of them are on the underside of the roof.&nbsp; They are working to press together a particularly troublesome pair of tin sheets long enough for the glue to set up.<br /><br /><br />So far the roof is shaping up quite nicely.&nbsp; Another couple hours and it should be all tinned up.&nbsp; Most likely I'll forget to leave a hole for the chimney, but I'm hoping that writing it here will help me to remember. ;)Ryan Skowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01005219749335015663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3370385557047658097.post-57037927860949178442012-07-29T16:06:00.002-05:002012-07-30T10:48:43.937-05:00Farmhouse Project WIP - Update 8 - Roof FramedThe 'hard part' is done - framing the roof.&nbsp; Ok, so it really wasn't that difficult, but it certainly wasn't an exact science.&nbsp; The Sketchup drawing helped out to give some hints on how long the beams should be, but due to slight variations in wall length and alignment along the way, some trial and error was needed.&nbsp; Fortunately there is a little wiggle room when getting things lined up given the flexible nature of the metal roof.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b1dHOtY5s2Y/UBWhxm4o8XI/AAAAAAAAAZA/_uVvTgbW8_M/s1600/D7K_1193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b1dHOtY5s2Y/UBWhxm4o8XI/AAAAAAAAAZA/_uVvTgbW8_M/s640/D7K_1193.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>The beam seen down on the floor of the building was previously attached to the bottom of the roof peak.&nbsp; It was used to keep the correct roof height which was sort of the constant value used in getting the rest of the roof pulled together.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gFoh8qwHlRk/UBWhyFlOFXI/AAAAAAAAAZI/AJCmPMqplfg/s1600/D7K_1196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="330" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gFoh8qwHlRk/UBWhyFlOFXI/AAAAAAAAAZI/AJCmPMqplfg/s640/D7K_1196.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6Jvez2KUgM4/UBWhy0htW3I/AAAAAAAAAZQ/FTl6qWcRZHQ/s1600/D7K_1198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6Jvez2KUgM4/UBWhy0htW3I/AAAAAAAAAZQ/FTl6qWcRZHQ/s400/D7K_1198.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />As can be seen along the bottom edges of the walls are going to be what I believe are rain gutters.&nbsp; The walls along the concrete areas in the source photo seem to be tarred or somehow sealed against water penetration.&nbsp; That should add some interest to the long stretches of brick.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DK8MZdRQp-c/UBWhz7CsxtI/AAAAAAAAAZY/1IkasVrM8lU/s1600/D7K_1199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DK8MZdRQp-c/UBWhz7CsxtI/AAAAAAAAAZY/1IkasVrM8lU/s400/D7K_1199.JPG" width="263" /></a></div><br />To hold the balsa wood frame together, I use <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0017D3W9A/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=B0017D3W9A&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=miniature0b-20">Loctite Super Glue Control Gel</a>.&nbsp; It dries very quickly (too quickly sometimes) and forms a solid bond.&nbsp; Trying to do this with white glue would make it very difficult to get things put together in any reasonable amount of time.&nbsp; If I had the tin ready, I could have begun attaching it about 10 seconds after as I glued the last cross timber in place. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />&nbsp; <br />Next getting some tin on and remembering to leave space for the chimney is on the todo list.Ryan Skowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01005219749335015663noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3370385557047658097.post-76828272486637464282012-07-26T20:39:00.001-05:002012-09-17T11:30:37.121-05:00Farmhouse Project WIP - Update 7 - Experiments FollowupWell, lots of 'error' in my 'trial and error'.<br /><br />The resin window experiment flopped in more than one way.&nbsp; First, the resin somewhat sticks to the wax paper which leaves some paper residue on the back of the window ruining their clarity.&nbsp; Second, the resin sticks - a lot - to the double-stick tape.&nbsp; That one didn't surprise me I guess...although I had some hope since the silicon didn't stick to it at all.&nbsp; The wax paper frames both suffered from seepage of the resin under and out of the frame.&nbsp; Although it was easy to trim off when still semi-soft, it still left a thin sheet of clear resin on the back side of the frame - exactly what I was trying to avoid.&nbsp; There is another test I'll likely try with the resin to avoid the seepage, but the transparency option is gaining favor.<br /><br />Ok, on to the painting tests.&nbsp; So far I've got four options painted up.&nbsp; None of them strike me as 'that is the one', but a at least one looks promising.<br /><br />Below are a few photos.&nbsp; Keep in mind you can click on the photos to expand them for a more detailed view.&nbsp; Pardon the odd wall shapes...as I mentioned before, these were poured with extra plaster as I was casting the walls.&nbsp; <br /><br />The option below has no pigment in the mortar lines at all.&nbsp; This option actually looks a little better than the photo shows, but it still leaves something to be desired...&nbsp; <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BXdMAwJih-s/UBHkyjoghuI/AAAAAAAAAXo/UbjswEsoqIk/s1600/D7K_0707.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="502" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BXdMAwJih-s/UBHkyjoghuI/AAAAAAAAAXo/UbjswEsoqIk/s640/D7K_0707.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Country Gray base, red/browns sponged on, sepia wash to bring it together</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vCZ-Gz59mgU/UBHk5IBICjI/AAAAAAAAAYY/msxXA-Tazhw/s1600/D7K_0714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div><br />The option below used Gray pigment in the mortar lines.&nbsp;&nbsp; I didn't seal this one before applying the pigments which resulted in the gray pigment sort of overpowering the brick face colors...&nbsp; It looks kind of interesting and has an 'old brick wall' feel, but does not match brick on the house I'm looking for.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rvfYYaQFoXU/UBHk2PpRQUI/AAAAAAAAAYI/s9PSI14pHZo/s1600/D7K_0712.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rvfYYaQFoXU/UBHk2PpRQUI/AAAAAAAAAYI/s9PSI14pHZo/s640/D7K_0712.JPG" width="331" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Country Gray base, black wash, red/browns sponged, Slate pigment</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The example below is actually three variations on the same base coat.&nbsp; The left has the white pigment pressed in to represent the mortar, the center is no pigment, the right is gray pigment.&nbsp; Even though I sealed this piece before applying the pigments, they both really overpowered the brick color.&nbsp; To me, the white is too light and the gray is too dark.&nbsp; I actually kind of like the center portion where there is no pigment, but it still doesn't look quite right.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y-6MDkljlio/UBHk0bG1KtI/AAAAAAAAAX4/TXFImAA1oLc/s1600/D7K_0709.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y-6MDkljlio/UBHk0bG1KtI/AAAAAAAAAX4/TXFImAA1oLc/s640/D7K_0709.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Country Gray base, red/browns sponged, sepia wash, white pigment left, slate pigment right</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The final option so far is the one I believe that best represents the original house.&nbsp; The left 2/3 has a Sandstone base coat with the standard red/brown sponging plus some single bricks picked out in highlight colors.&nbsp; The right 1/3 has a Mudstone base coat (a bit darker than the sandstone) with the same paint scheme as the left portion.<br /><br />It still looks a little 'chalky' even though I sealed the piece before applying pigments.&nbsp; Maybe a thicker coat of sealer would help.&nbsp; I tried wiping as much of the pigment off the tops of the bricks as I could with a wet paper towel, but it wasn't entirely successful.&nbsp; The grout pigment is a mixture of about 2 parts slate, 1 part white. <br /><br />Anyway, I guess I'm leaning towards the sandstone side, although it may be interesting to paint random areas with the darker Mudstone to give some variation in color.&nbsp; The two seem to blend pretty well.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eqNG7USANtA/UBHk3FO8M4I/AAAAAAAAAYQ/AHecPCAG8pM/s1600/D7K_0713.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="465" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eqNG7USANtA/UBHk3FO8M4I/AAAAAAAAAYQ/AHecPCAG8pM/s640/D7K_0713.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sandstone(left 2/3)/Mudstone(right 1/3), red/brown sponge, sepia wash, gray/white mix pigment</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-guV_RMD7I6I/UBHkxny9kRI/AAAAAAAAAXg/tNR8cTixhpQ/s1600/D7K_0704.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="470" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-guV_RMD7I6I/UBHkxny9kRI/AAAAAAAAAXg/tNR8cTixhpQ/s640/D7K_0704.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">same as above except without the flash on</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Below are some photos of the house I'm modeling after.&nbsp; Keep in mind that the walls of the house are a little more uniform and may better represent the original brickwork.&nbsp; The test pieces are from a different mold I'll be using for another set of related buildings.&nbsp; I think the last option above best represents the top left photo on the wall (where the kids are hanging out).<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-woVGqMbCn8U/UBHtJLknZuI/AAAAAAAAAYk/bYvrzP4clC0/s1600/example-brick1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-woVGqMbCn8U/UBHtJLknZuI/AAAAAAAAAYk/bYvrzP4clC0/s1600/example-brick1.jpg" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_St3gJRJ9Ds/UBHtJ9YqMpI/AAAAAAAAAY0/WqbtttvYZ1c/s1600/example-brick3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_St3gJRJ9Ds/UBHtJ9YqMpI/AAAAAAAAAY0/WqbtttvYZ1c/s1600/example-brick3.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OmQ3RQWYCJU/UBHtJtBn9LI/AAAAAAAAAYs/B_VcKyAeTSg/s1600/example-brick2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OmQ3RQWYCJU/UBHtJtBn9LI/AAAAAAAAAYs/B_VcKyAeTSg/s1600/example-brick2.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Images from http://www.nrzam.org.uk/BobEglinton/BobLHS.htm</td></tr></tbody></table>Well, more than ever I could use some feedback on these options.&nbsp; I'm too close to the problem to see clearly at this point...&nbsp; Figuring out how to get rid of some of the 'chalky' look would be ideal I think.&nbsp; Alternatively, I could scrap all of these tests and try something completely new.Ryan Skowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01005219749335015663noreply@blogger.com0